Salvation and Ascension
by SpartAl412
Summary: There are powers in the depths of space that no mortal race was meant to know. Secrets best left forgotten for to tamper with such would bring only utter ruin. War now comes to two universes that seek to unlock the secrets of the ancients, their curiosity will set in motion a series of events that will change things forever.
1. Chapter 1

The following is a continuation of this story s/10699748/1/Shoot-first-Ask-Questions-Never

Author's Note: Just a reminder for those who read my stories, especially with the Warhammer ones, they are all primarily set in the timelines of older, retconed editions where events such as Storm of Chaos for WHFB or the old 13th Black Crusade from the early 2000's are relevant with units and equipment from later editions (up to 8th for Fantasy and 7th for 40k) just being thrown in for the sake of the storyline.

* * *

Somewhere in Ultima Segmentum... M42

'WAAAAGGGGHHH' roared Burgrat as he held down the trigger of his shoota and unleashed a storm of lead upon the foe. Standing upon a barren hill alongside the rest of a mob of Shoota Boyz, Burgrat reveled in the ensuing battle as the orks of the Deathskulls clashed with a swarm of beasts bearing hides and shells the colours of blue and red. Today was a good day thought the Shoota Boy as his gun suddenly stopped firing, its roar replaced by clicks which instinctively caused him to reach for his belt and grab another ammo clip while simultaneously ejecting the spent one.

For the entire life of Burgrat and most orks on this barren world of black stone and dust, they had been at war with the gribbly beasts which some of the newer ladz who had come from space had called nids or Tyranids as the humies called them. Although he had never seen a live humie before, he had seen the skulls of the creatures decorating the poles of many a boss and had heard many stories about the great wars waged against them by other Orks. Perhaps in time, the Shoot Boy would have a chance to shoot one of those alien creatures in the face but for now, he was content with facing the bugs.

An explosion of fire and shrapnel suddenly blossomed only a few yards ahead of Burgrat, killing a bunch of the smaller beasts, while others were scythed down by ork gunfire or felled by choppas. Only a few steps down the hill from the Shoota Boy mobs were many Choppa or Burna Boyz who also had one hell of a great time getting stuck into the thickest of the fighting. If he were to die right now then it would be a good death he thought as he reveled in his current state of euphoria, he lived the way all orks should and that was fighting.

When his gun began to click again, he once more reached for his ammo belt but all of a sudden, he felt a strange charge in the air, like when the mekboyz brought out the big zappy guns. Next thing he knew, he felt a sense of weightlessness as his feet lifted off of the ground along with many rocks, spent shell casings and the other orks around him. There were many confused cries from his fellow orks as they tried to get back down and as he looked about he saw that even the Tyranids were floating up as well.

He then noticed something bright in the sky and in one last moment of horrid realization he knew what it was.

'Oh zog' muttered Burgrat as lances of searing energy rained down from orbit and vaporized every ork and tyranid from within six metres of where the Shoota Boy had been standing. Clouds of glassed dust were scattered about along with the ashes of the many combatants, not even metal or chitin survived the blazing ruin brought down upon this barren world.

The sudden bombardment of orbital fire was soon followed up by another barrage, this ones composed of hollow, physical transports containing payloads of flesh and faith, soared down with the heat of atmospheric re-entry. Before the clouds were cleared, several drop-pods crashed into the very ground where hundreds of orks and tyranids once fought and emerging from the entrance were black armored giants wielding massive guns and roaring chain-blades.

'For the Emperor!' roared the leader of these newcomers as battle was joined once more.

* * *

Elsewhere, Korprulu Sector.

+_Khassar de templari+_ mentally whispered Executor Lacea of the Velari Tribe with eyes closed and thoughts directed within.

+_From order comes justice+_ quietly came another voice and the lids of the Executor's eyes opened to reveal two glowing orbs of bright cyan light and she gazed upon a seemingly endless sea of shimmering blue water with a clear sky above her.

Warm sunlight bathed the pale gray flesh of the Protoss Executor as she sat cross legged upon a stone dais in the middle of a botanical garden while dressed only in loose robes colored with yellow dye. Gleaming pieces of Khaydarin crystals fashioned into jewelry adorned the fingers, neck and brow of the Executor, each one strengthened her psionic abilities, save for a single, bright red gem of an unknown, alien origin. Within this stone was a presence, the powerful will of a sentient mind that had proven to be a useful adviser on the field of battle and one that had been responsible for blocking the malign influence of the Dark One during the opening stages of the End War.

+_Peace is such a fleeting thing+ _mused the voice within the stone, known to the Executor as Eldrad, whose tone contained hint of resignation and Lacea could not help but agree with the statement.

Although years had passed since the reclamation of Aiur and the death of Amon, a very fragile peace had settled across the worlds of the Korprulu Sector, one that had already begun to crack. Skirmishes had already broken out on worlds such as Gystt, Adena and if certain reports were true, then even the true Tal'darim had engaged in a massive invasion upon worlds belonging to the Terran Dominion. Even here on this distant far-flung planet, peace was a mere illusion for the shadow of war hung heavy upon those who settled here and one would merely have to look up to see why.

For over a year now, the combined tribes of the Daelaam had spread out across this world known as Ulnuran, its five continents divided by oceans were filled with diverse biomes so rich with not only life but other assorted resources that would make it a vital world in providing the raw materials needed to not only rebuild Aiur's cities but also to restore the Golden Armada. The location of this world had only been recently revealed to the Firstborn after a combined expedition to Ulnar led by the former Judicators of the Shelak Tribe and the Nerazim Tribe known as the Alysaar discovered an ancient Xel'naga artifact that contained a trove of not only technical information but also coordinates to special locations previously known only to the Gods themselves.

In the early days of the expedition, they had found numerous ancient Temples likes those on Aiur, which in turn had brought quite a number of Protoss settlers, almost all of whom now resided upon the island city of New Talematros of which had become a mighty fortress while elsewhere across the world were fully automated outposts inhabited primarily by Probes.

What worried the Protoss settlers though was that the moon of Ulnuran, known to the Xel'naga as Un'lazar had recently been heavily infested by the Zerg Swarm. Although also filled with life, various resources and Xel'naga artifacts, the Observers that had been sent to surface Un'lazar had found it absolutely filled with dangerous flora and fauna, the sort of which that would have been extremely hostile to any Protoss as well a Terran or Zerg.

What the Zerg were doing was anyone's guess but to most of the Protoss, including Lacea herself, were certain that the Swarm had also learned something as of value as well from Ulnar, one that was important enough to send millions of warrior beasts to a world that was just as far away from Char as it was from Aiur.

So far the Zerg had remained on Un'lazar and had even delivered a message via an Infested Terran communication system with assurances to the Protoss that the Broodmothers in command wished to maintain Overqueen Zagara's desire for peace, something which Hierarch Artanis had also been trying to preserve and had even given the colonists strict orders to only raise arms in self defense.

Unsurprisingly, the Daelaam forces remained unconvinced and had chosen to to remain alert but all agreed so far to watch, wait and be ready in case the Swarm attempted to initiate hostilities. Since then, both species have remained on guard while expanding and establishing numerous outposts that would gather the necessary materials needed to continue expansion efforts.

Should war happen though, Lacea was at least confident that the arsenal the Protoss currently possessed would be more than adequate for aside from the flesh and blood members of the Firstborn, the mechanical legions of the Purifiers had also taken part in the colonization effort, indeed about half of their forces were made up of robotic warriors.

There were even a number of former Tal'darim who now resided within New Talematros and they had brought with them numerous deadly weapons of war. Should all else fail, New Talematros possessed a Warp Conduit that would be capable of bringing in reinforcements directly from Aiur.

Part of her just wanted to dare the Zerg into attacking first, the part that reveled in the fury of glorious combat yet another side, one that had bitterly seen the cost of war had hoped that this tenuous peace would last as long as possible.

* * *

One month, it had been one cursed month of Holy Terra's time since the Crusade Fleet that had originally been destined to join the ongoing conflict within the Jericho Reach had instead been quietly diverted to arrive upon this barren, nameless world at the edge of Ultima Segementum and they were not one step closer in reaching their goal. Peering into the void of space from his personal quarters aboard an Oberon Class Battleship, Lord Inquisitor Valtsten of the Ordo Xenos and the Conclave of Nurena observed the surface of this world and he wondered if perhaps all of this had been a mistake. Decades of long and perilous searching, combing through ancient libraries and the ruins of long dead xenos civilizations had led not only himself but many other Inquisitors of the Conclave of Nurena here, to a world that if their sources were correct, had been an ancient bastion of a race known only in myth and legends as the Old Ones.

Somewhere upon this blighted, xeno-infested world was a weapon, something of terrifyingly great power was hidden, a super weapon of sorts capable of laying waste to entire systems at once, a weapon that could be the Imperium's doom or salvation. The quest to find the super weapon on the planet was hindered by the presence of many Orks and Tyranids that had been waging war across the surface even before the Imperium's arrival, the former of which had already established thousands of ramshackle shanties here and there, each one teeming with tens of thousands of the the belligerent beasts while the latter had also established numerous Hives hidden beneath the surface. To make matters worse, he could see from the view deck aboard the Battleship's Bridge the distant forms of Ork voidships and Tyranid Bio-ships trading blows with one another or with the Imperial Navy, but for the most part, each of the forces kept their distances for the first days of battle in the void had been harsh yet brutal for all sides.

The only thing that helped affirm to the Inquisitor that this indeed was the right course of action was that there were other, older and deadly forces that had arrived upon this world as well. Fleets of the deathless xeno machines known as the Necrons had arrived in great numbers, their potent vessels had reaped a deadly toll before landing numerous forces on this world's surface, their goal was unknown to the Inquisitors of the Conclave of Nurena but it most likely had something to do as well with the Old Ones ruins on this world.

Not long after the Necrons arrived, the sleek and elegant ships of the Eldar had made their appearance, the perfidious aliens had through the use of their holographic technologies been able to slip their own forces onto the surface and had established numerous hidden bases. Curiously, there were even reports of alien forces from the Tau Empire, most likely from the Velk'han Sept of which had already engaged in numerous skirmishes with the Imperial Forces.

Yet of all the forces that had come, the most dreaded of all had also made their appearance known for from the depths of the Warp, the Traitor Legions had arrived. Led by the ancient enemies of the Conclave of Nurena, the Brotherhood of Nine, the dark alliance of the Chaos Lords had united under their banners not only their Chaos Space Marines Legions but also countless other Lost and the Damned warbands, mutants rabbles and other degenerate followers of the Dark Gods. Many blasphemous outposts had already been established down there on the surface where the armies of Chaos used dark portals that connected directly to the Eye of Terror to maintain a constant stream of supplies and reinforcements.

It was going to be a long and bloody campaign thought the Inquisitor Lord who had seen his fair share of war in the past but like many among his ilk, he preferred to operate within the shadows. Using his influence and connections as an Inquisitor Lord, Valtsten along with other members of the Conclave of Nurena had garnered a great deal of support from numerous forces from across the Imperium.

Entire regiments of the Astra Militarum had been among the first Imperial armies to arrive followed by Commanderies of the Adepta Sororitas, Cohorts of the Mechanicus, Knight Houses and even entire Companies of Adeptus Astartes from different Chapters had come with more already on the way. Like their foes, the armies of the Imperium had also established several fortified outposts on the planet where the Imperial Navy could safely land reinforcements and continue the campaign to conquer this world in the Emperor's name.

Reaching out with his psychic senses, the Lord Inquisitor could sense the disturbances in the Warp as the powers of many psykers, both human and xenos were unleashed on numerous battlefields and the Shadow in the Warp generated by Tyranids was somehow weakened by means not known to him, a small blessing this was for it still allowed the Crusade Force to maintain astropathic communications with the greater Imperium.

Through the use of Witch-Sight, the Inquisitor Lord was able to perceive this world with far greater clarity than would be possible through the use of mundane, technological instruments. With this Sight, he witnessed the ebb and flow of battle as the spirits of Humanity's warriors fought against the Emperor's foes such as on one plain, a squadron of Leman Russ tanks traded fire with Ork vehicles in a furious barrage of explosive ordnance while in the canyons of another place a squadron of Astartes Assault Marines and Sororitas Seraphim engaged in an aerial battle against Chaos Raptors and Daemonic Furies.

The Inquisitor Lord could also sense the presence of the myriad alien armies but his sight over them was less clear for the minds of the Xenos was far more different than that of Men and for creatures like the Eldar, they possessed the means to avoid being seen by other psykers. Despite all of the background psychic activity, the Inquisitor Lord could also feel the presence of the ancient Old Ones machinery hidden beneath the world, their systems had as of late been reacting to the presence of so many active psykers. Worried at the possibility that someone or something might find the super weapon before the Imperium could, Valtsten decided to keep quiet for now as they still could not pinpoint the exact-

A sudden surge of Warp energy flowed from one of the ruins! It generated a psychic signal of such magnitude and power that if felt as if he were above Holy Terra's Astronomican! Quickly recovering from this sudden surge, the minds of the Oberon's mortal crew became frantic and the Inquisitor Lord turned his attention towards them.

Reading the thoughts of the crewmen, he heard the dozens of reports of seismic activities in numerous regions across the planet. Confusion and panic spread among some of the Imperial forces while others maintained order and simply braced themselves for what came next. It was then that the Warp energy of the Old One machinery began to spread out across the world and Vox reports began coming in of massive super structures rapidly emerging from the ground.

Shortly after their appearance, these machines then began to thrum with Warp energy and from one of these super structures, a massive beam of light lanced up into the sky. Fearing that the Old One super weapon had been fired, the Inquisitor Lord reverted back to his mundane, mortal sight and from the view port he saw the shaft of pure energy reach up into orbit before eventually stopping at a certain point. The pillar of light just remained there, its vast psychic presence began to grow stronger and it reached into the Warp itself.

Holding his breath, the Inquisitor expected something terrible to happen but after several seconds passed he took a deep breath and was somewhat relieved to find that they were all still alive. Turning his thoughts to one of his acolytes of whom had been on the bridge along with the Battleship's Commodore and the Navigator, he overheard a dismayed conversation about how a series of inbound reinforcement ships that had just been about to exit the Warp had suddenly vanished. Looking to the pillar of light the Lord Inquisitor instinctively knew that it was somehow responsible.

* * *

+_Place the pylons over there and there_\+ commanded former Judicator and now Praetor Nahomis of the Shelak Tribe towards a pair of probes and the machines dutifully obeyed.

Clad in the dark blue powered armor of a Judicator Zealot, he stood upon an open plaza of cobbled stone and surrounded by ancient pyramids built by the Xel'naga, he patiently watched as the two machines glided towards a series of stone discs embedded into the ground. With a sharp crackle of energy, the constructs simultaneously warped in a pair of Pylons that for now took the form of glowing spheres of energy as the physical forms of the structures were transported directly from Aiur itself. Nodding to the machines, they hovered towards another set of stone discs and began constructing additional pylons while the crew of his landed Arbiter stood alert with eyes watching out for any possible danger.

This was it thought Nahomis, who internally felt a sense of excitement and perhaps a bit of fear for this was was the culmination of years of searching since the End War. According to Hierarch Artanis, the Gods were capable of traveling to other universes and had been responsible for seeding life across these other realities where eventually at some point, two races would merge into one to form a new Xel'naga.

According to information gathered from Ulnar, it seemed that this world, Uldamir, was a place where the Gods could travel to these other universes and during that during their travels, they had encountered beings they considered to be kindred spirits, these they called The Creators.

On this world, he had found murals like those on Ulnar that detailed these encounters between the Xel'naga and the various Creators races that also nurtured life to their own cosmos. One such race were that of planet-sized giants, another depicted a people in perfect balance between light and darkness while another depicted a race of reptilian creatures of which he was unsure were actually Creators themselves or merely a servant race.

Yet he had also found warnings of more malevolent entities within these other universes, beings that thrived on death, destruction and the eradication all lesser beings, one such group were depicted as a writhing mass of tentacles and sharpened maws emerging from a planet while another depicted an enslaving species of brutal alien warriors with cone shaped heads nd their eyes on the sides, these creatures called themselves the "Infernal Ones".

Worried that perhaps his curiosity might end up being the cause of great turmoil for the Daelaam, he had a moment of self doubt which came too late as the first pair of pylons had finished warping in and were followed by a second, then third and finally a fourth pair. Ancient Xel'naga machinery buried beneath their feet then began to thrum with energy as soft beams of light rose up form the stone discs which then began to transfer power from the Khaydarin crystals the made up most of a Pylon's form.

Soon every stone structure around the Shelak expedition began to light up with gleaming emerald glyphs. The air became filled with psionic energy, causing a tingling sensation which all of the within the plaza and the ground then began to rumble as metallic crystal-tipped rods rose up from the top of the pyramids and they unleashed beams of light into the sky.

+_Nahomis! What is happening there?_\+ came the alarmed call of his colleague Prelate Amaka of the Alysaar.

+_Our ascension..._\+ replied Nahomis with awe as he gazed upwards and saw the light travel higher and higher until it reached into the void of space itself.

* * *

In high orbit above Ulnuran, a cloaked Observer, one of hundreds of such constructs continued to follow its last orders which was to remain in surveillance mode and monitor for any possible Zerg activity. For many long months, it provided a constant stream of information to the Observatories of New Talematros such as data regarding weather patterns, passing by celestial objects and even the occasional presence of Zerg surveillance organisms which immediately sped away as soon as both units detected one another. When a massive surge of psionic energy emanated from the surface of Ulnuran, it remained in its stationary position until an order came from the colony to investigate this phenomenon.

Folding its fins and diverting power to its gravitic boosters, the Observer silently sped towards what appeared to be a massive pillar of light. Its sensors picked up the signature of many other Observer units and the machines began to network their processors as they all analyzed and collecting data for their Protoss masters when suddenly another energy surge was detected all the way from Un'lazar. Turning around to face the Zerg infested moon, many of the observers saw another pillar of light rising from one point along its equator which was soon followed by energy fluctuations within warp space.

The combined streams of artificially intelligent minds collected and shared data among one another along with those within the Observatories and a theory was proposed. Based on what information had been gathered, it seemed that these pillars of light were affecting warp space in a manner similar to the Fleet Beacons but on a significantly larger magnitude. Another surge was then detected, this time in the void of real-space and a massive tear in reality opened.

Focusing their lenses upon this tear, the collection of Observers watched as four, absolutely enormous vessels entered Ulnuran's orbit. Far larger than any known classification of spacecraft known to the Protoss, save for an Arkship such as the Spear of Adun, these monstrous ships bore the distinctly crude and unrefined marks of Terran craftsmanship. Analyzing and studying these vessels, they noted the unusually decorative designs placed on these ships which bristled with multitudes of guns and they picked up signs of energy shielding as well as communications chatter being transmitted between them.

To the unfeeling processors of the Observers, the sight of these ships was merely just another object to collect data from as commanded by their masters. To the living Protoss upon Ulnuran, a great alarm was sounded, one to prepare its warriors for the possibility battle.

* * *

'Just where in the Emperor's name are we?' questioned General Korden of the Cadian 999th as he sat upon a plas-steel throne within his personal quarters, a thin mist of tobacco smoke wafted around the man as a burning Lho-stub was gently clenched between the fingers of his gloved right rand while his left hand rested upon the table in front of him which had an active holo-projector that displayed four other screens with faces filling them.

'That's is just it my lords, we have no idea' worriedly responded the gaunt and pale face of a hooded Navigator whose unnaturally long skeletal fingers were clasped together with the index and middle fingers propped by his chin. 'If you just look outside, this world does not match any of the information given about our destination and what is more concerning is that we cannot sense the Astronomican!'

'My own Navigator has told me the same' then came the deep, mechanical voice of Force Commander Cornelius of the Aurora Chapter, his face hidden behind a beaked helmet painted forest green and was adorned with a gilded laurel wreath. 'It is best if we keep quiet about this, for the sake of morale'.

'Agreed' growled the the bearded and scarred face of another Space Marine Force Commander known as Guthrum who belonged to the Executioners Chapter. 'Your Commissars will be busy spilling blood if the lower ranks knew'

'They can try with us' boasted Colonel Thatch of the Catachan XXX who spoke these words as more of a challenge and Van Korden was glad for the moment that no member of Commissariat was part of this conversation.

'So it is all agreed then that for now, we keep this confidential?' then said the Cadian General to which was responded with a series of acknowledgements. 'All right then, I will keep you all updated, until then we should survey these worlds and see if we can find a way re-establish contact with the Imperium, Korden out.'

With that, the screens went black and by accessing a nearby terminal, the General opened a channel to the nearest Mechanicus Shrine. When he was greeted by skeletal face of a Servitor, General Korden maintained his composure and he relayed his orders to the cybernetic thrall that he wanted survey teams to head down to the planets at once before cutting the channel. The general then powered down the projector and he took another deep drag from his Lho-stub to calm his nerves.

Something was clearly wrong here, he could feel it in his bones. The other commanders were right for there was no need to cause an unnecessary panic among the both Navy Personnel or the Imperial Guard forces for the idea of being outside of the Emperor's holy light was troubling to say the least. He knew the stories of the great Solar Lord Macharius and how despite the sainted general's legendary string victories, what in the end broke the Macharian Crusade was the unwillingness of the army to travel outside of the Astronimican's reach.

Through bitter personal experience, General Korden knew just how dangerous warp travel can be or how the vagaries of that other-worldly realm can affect even the seemingly smoothest of journeys. Quietly praying to the Emperor and hoping that they can solve this mystery soon, he turned his attention to the state of his own troops aboard the Universe Class Mass Conveyor, _The Chariot _of which had been loaned by a Rogue Trader Dynasty (for a very large fee of which there was no doubt) to transport more than a dozen regiments of the Astra Militarum alongside a Cetaceus Class Transport called _The Onager, _which carried numerous Devourer Dropships as well as Navy Strike Craft as well as numerous assorted fighters and bombers.

With hundreds of thousands of souls aboard the transport, they still maintained a large stockpile of food, medicine, fuel, ammunition and other things necessary to wage a protracted campaign but having taken part in conflicts that had lasted for years, he was deeply aware how a lack of supplies can break any army.

Reaching again for the holo-projector's console, he contacted numerous officers and ordered to be given a status report of every element of their army as well as reports from the Captain of _The Chariot_. There was much to do he knew but he trusted the competence and skill of those aboard to do their jobs for regardless of where they were, they would conquer this world in the Emperor's name and transform it into a shining bastion of the Imperium's might.

* * *

Within the chambers of the New Talematros' Twilight Council, a gathering of the colony's military leaders was held. Each of the five member was seated around a gleaming circular table polished to a mirrors sheen, each one the representative of a different section of their armies.

Executor Lacea who was seated in the northernmost position represented the Templar's Ground forces while to her left was Executor Amatelon of the Auriga and the head of the colony's Templar Fleet. To Lacea's right were the representative of the Nerazim, Prelate Amaka, followed afterwards by the Purifier representative and opposite of her position was the Tal'darim-Daelamm representative.

The council had already been informed by the Nerazim Prelate that one of his colleagues, Praetor Nahomis of the Shelak Tribe had been studying one of the many ancient Xel'naga facilities and as soon as something there was activated, this unknown fleet arrived. While they resolved to question the former Judicator who agreed to be on his way at once, they were more concerned with the massive ships that had suddenly appeared above Ulnuran.

+_We should annihilate these trespassers immediately!_\+ Called Fleet Lady Val'ritha who was dressed in the black and red light armor of an Ascendant, her presence was frightening to many of the Council members who could all sense her psionic strength which manifested in a crimson aura.

+_I am in agreement with the Tal'darim_\+ then said Executor Amatelon who wore the heavy pilot armor normally used by Tempest crew members.

+_To attack now would be foolish_\+ spoke the whisper-like voice of Prelate Amaka of the Alysaar who was wore the garb of the new breed of Xel'naga enhanced Nerazim warriors known as the Void Templars +_We know nothing of the intentions of these aliens, or what they are capable of, I suggest that we first remain hidden and observe them._+

+_The Prelate is on the correct path_\+ quietly came the voice of Eldrad who for reasons not known to the Executor had only made itself be heard only to her. +S_tudy them, learn their strengths, their weaknesses._+

+_I agree as well, w__e should have our Observers maintain surveillance, for now_\+ spoke Lacea. +_If these beings prove hostile, they will feel the wrath of the Golden Armada, if not then perhaps diplomacy would serve us._+

+_Perhaps you can lecture them to death, it will save us the trouble_\+ mocked the Fleet Lady who always had been the most difficult to work with on the Council. Ignoring the gibe with a roll of her eyes, Lacea then turned her attention to the mechanical form of Purifier Executor Rhenardthos who for now took the form of a Legionnaire.

'I AM IN AGREEMENT WITH THE PRELATE!' vocally boomed the Purifier Executor. 'YET WE MUST ALSO BE WARY OF HOW THE SWARM WILL REACT!'

+_Perhaps we will be fortunate_\+ spoke Amatelon with arms folded. +_The zerg might exterminate these intruders or they in turn will be._+

+_And if it the latter occurs, we could crush the survivors while they are wounded_\+ added Val'ritha whose words were while tactically sound, rankled at the honor-bound Templar Executors as well as their Purifier colleague who would have preferred to allow an enemy the chance to fully defend themselves.

+_But what if the zerg call upon us for aid?_\+ questioned Amaka which elicited looks of disdain from all of them.

+_Our treaty with Overqueen Zagara is so far only one of peace an non-aggression, not one of military alliances_\+ reminded Lacea who deep down like many Protoss held nothing but outright hatred for the Zerg that had brought ruin to Aiur and their people. +_We are not bound to aid them and we should not expect them to do the same for us._+

+_This is something we can all agree on_\+ then said Amatelon and every Executor gave their assent.

+_So it is decided then? three against two that we should assess the situation first?_\+ asked the Prelate towards the rest of the council and there was a look of dissatisfaction from both the Tal'darim-Daelaam and Auriga representatives who conceded on the matter. No more words were needed as the meeting was adjourned and every member got up from their seats and headed out with the Fleet Lady leaving with the greatest of haste.

+_You should be wary of that one_\+ said Eldrad.

+_I always have been_\+ replied Lacea who had a hunch that the Tal'darim was the most eager for there to be conflict. In the time the Velari Executor had known the Fleet Lady, she was certain that Val'ritha cared nothing for the principles or the ideals of Templar or the Daelaam, to her the Khalai, the Nerazim and the Purifiers were nothing more than allies of convenience.

When the Velari Executor stepped out of the Twilight Council, she saw the shimmering outlines of the great spires that made up New Talematros for numerous jade green pylons of Nerazim artifice had replaced the original ones. Known as Dark Pylons, these structures generated not only the powerfields needed to keep the Protoss structures operational but also generated a stealth field that concealed the buildings as well as the Protoss themselves from prying eyes. To an outsider without the necessary stealth detecting equipment, the city would have appeared as a massive artificial plateau dotted with the floating Dark Pylons.

Nearby, she noticed the towering pillar of a Dark Shrine where gathered at its base were numerous stealthed warriors who were all making their own preparations for combat. Immediately deciding on what she should do next, the Executor headed towards the structure intent on gathering the equipment she would need.

* * *

'Touching down, now' voxed the voice of the female pilot of an Arvus Lighter and within the cargo hold of the transport craft, a trio power armored enginseers accompanied by nine Servitors and half a dozen Servo-Skulls prepared to disembark. When the rear hatch opened up and the ramp was lowered, the small party of cybernetically enhanced individuals immediately activated various sensory equipment attached to their mechandrites as light and cool air flooded the compartment.

With heavy steps, the Tech-Priests cautiously moved out of the landing craft while tightly clutching Omnissian Power Axes in case of any danger, waving about their bionic artificial tentacles, each of the Enginseers gathered information about their surroundings of which was immediately shared between the three of them.

'Gravity levels at 1.0G' stated one of the Enginseers.

'Atmosphere is within the 99.9th percentile stage of acceptability for un-enhanced humans' spoke the second.

'Temperature at 82.4F' said the last as more information was being gathered but already they were coming to the same conclusion.

Finding themselves within a clear space of land surrounded by green vegetation, mostly wild grass that grew up to 1.5 meters, the Tech-Priests and their Servitor Thralls continued to survey the area while searching for a suitable landing site. Testing the humidity in the air, they theorized that there had been recent precipitation and began to calculate the probability of finding water which when compared to the preliminary Augurs before landing was becoming positively high.

For several minutes the survey team would study and catalog what different flora and fauna they encountered while still sampling their surroundings and cross-referencing it their own knowledge of other worlds. Eventually, they came to the conclusion that this world was within the acceptable parameters for human habitation and the Enginseers likened the current climate as of being similar to Ancient Terra during the late 2nd millennium at the time when humanity had just begun making its first forays into space. In time, the survey team would find massive light blue crystalline formations along with geysers emitting visibly green vapors.

Taking the time to study these things, one of the Enginseers took a sample of the crystals by using a high powered laser to cut off a chunk roughly 4 inches in length and half of that in width while another deployed a specialized Servo-Skull to test the gases from the geyser. After several minutes of analyzing these things and studying their chemical compositions, they all theorized that the crystals were of some type of mineral not unlike the various ores used in the Imperium's industry while the green gases could be used as a fuel source for vehicles and ships. Relaying such information to their colleagues above, the Enginseers then carried out their primary objective.

One of the Tech-Priests took from his belt a two foot long rod which looked very much like the batons used by the Imperial Navy's hangar crew to guide landing craft. The Enginseer then firmly planted the rod into the ground and it began to generate a signal to the Machine Spirits of their ships. He then took several steps away and after approximately a minute planting it, a massive solid object burning with the heat of entry could be seen above them.

The object landed with a loud thud which caused a mild tremor upon of the ground, it looked as if several metal boxes were welded together and had engines placed along the sides. Intoning the necessary prayers to the Omnissiah, bright yellow metallic arms protruded from the sides of what was a prefabricated structure which contained the partially constructed form an Astra Militarum Field Command.

Working together as a group, the Tech-Priests and their Servitor thralls would quickly establish a bunker-like structure built from rockrete and ceramite that would serve as the primary Headquarters for the combined Imperial Guard forces.

Soon more prefabricated structures would be dropped in from orbit, structures as the Infantry Command Bunkers, Tactica Controls and automated defense turrets were deployed. Within half an hour, the team of Tech-Priests and Servitors had already established a fully operational Astra Militarum base and from above, they saw numerous Devourer Dropships heading towards the cleared landing zones. Aside from these Imperial Navy landing craft, they also saw one forest green colored Thunderhawk carrying the folded form of an Adeptus Astartes Stronghold.

With a small measure of pride, the Enginseers were glad to do their part in bringing a piece of Imperial civilization to this unknown world. Yet unnoticed by the Enginseers was a machine hidden via cloaking field and floating above them. It watched with great interest as hundreds of human soldiers made landfall.

* * *

Upon a lone mesa surrounded by steep cliffs and verdant green grasslands was a lone Daelaam outpost where a Nexus stood close to a field of mineral crystals and vespene geysers with Assimilators placed upon them, dozens of robotic Probes diligently continued their work of mining and harvesting all were unconcerned of recent the developments for such was not in their programming.

Around the Nexus structure were Pylons which provided power to a series of Photon Cannons and Shield Batteries that formed a defensive ring surrounding the command structure. It was then that flashes of light suddenly appeared near one of the Pylons which in a matter of seconds took the forms of six protoss warriors who successfully warped in to the outpost.

Having donned the armor an Avenger, Executor Lacea looked very much like a Nerazim Warrior of the Zer'atai tribe save of course for the many gilded plates that appealed to the aesthetic senses of the Templar, the bright cyan power stones and of course a yellow cloak to represent her heritage to the Velari.

Instead of using the Psionic Scythes commonly wielded by the Templar's own stealth warriors, she had opted instead to use a single powered gauntlet that could emit a Psionic Blade, much like that wielded by the Nerazim tribe known as the Lenassa. Accompanying Lacea were three Avengers wearing the standard equipment of their order and as soon as they all materialized, they focused their psionic abilities upon themselves and in an instant they were all invisible to the naked eye.

Setting off at once, the party of four Protoss warriors headed towards a natural path that would safely lead them to the grasslands where according to the reports from the Observatories of New Talematros, the unknown army of whom had clearly been made up of Terrans had made landfall not far away. Of all the places where these strangers could land, they just happened to arrive on the one continent of Ulnuran where the presence of the Daelaam was at its lightest. By the time the four Templar started making their descent, they were joined by an Observer, one of many such machines that also patrolled the skies and it would serve them by keeping watch for any hidden threats.

Maintaining a steady pace, the Avengers strode across the grassy plains, their silent steps barely left any footprints upon the ground as they traveled towards the position of another Observer unit that had spotted a group of these unknown humans. They maintained communications with New Talematros which reported that so far it seemed these strangers were unaware of their presence on the planet, of the Zerg though on Un'lazar, there were sightings of increased activity as the more conspicuous Overseers were immediately pulling back to the moon's atmosphere as human landing craft had also been deployed there. No communications had been made yet by the Swarm but Lacea wondered if they would attempt some form of contact first and if it did happen, she was somewhat concerned about there own.

After some time, the Velari Executor was given a report that one of the Observers in the region had spotted a scouting device floating about, one that took the shape of human skull outfitted with mechanical components. Curious thought the Executor who had sometimes seen the Terrans use the bones of their own dead as ornamentation but never had they used such in the creation of some form of machinery. She was then informed that the Observer recognized that the skull-machine had some form of surveillance equipment as well as stealth-like capabilities.

So much for remaining undetected thought the Executor who then began to feel a familiar psychic presence.

+_Executor_\+ called the voice of Eldrad. +T_here is something you must know of these... humans._+

* * *

Aboard the Bridge of the Battle Barge _Vosotho_, Captain Palleon Cornelius of the Aurora Chapter's 4th Company and assigned Force Commander watched the holo-screen as it showed him the pict-capture of one of their Skull Probes. In the air above it was a floating machine that had previously been hidden away in a manner that reminded him of the Stealth Suits used by the Tau, its mechanical eye was fixated upon the Skull-Probe which likewise studied the thing. Judging by its sleek elegant design which possessed an inhuman elegance to it, the Force Commander was certain that it was xenos in design which was troubling for it did not resemble anything from any species he knew of.

Throughout the history of the Imperium, there had been many, many wars against all manner of alien races. Some proved pathetically easy to crush while others like the Eldar, Orks or Hrud had remained a constant thorn on humanity's side but there were also those far more deadly waiting in the darkness. He knew that species like the Necrons slumbered within ancient tombs, a number of which had been unknowingly inhabited by while others like the Tyranids, the Slaugth and the Lacrymole were capable of infiltrating the teeming masses of Man, their threats not known until it was too late and the corruption ran deep.

He had fought many wars against the aliens, some in defense of the Emperor's domains while others for righteous extermination but always there was a great threat to be had when facing the unknown. Operating a terminal close to him, the Force Commander switched the image to another Skull-Probe which was studying a large pyramid like structure with a glowing crystal floating above it.

The sight of this brought forth unpleasant memories of a previous campaign where he had led an armored assault on a Necron Tomb Complex where the deathless machines had activated several of their deadly Monoliths which wreaked great havoc among the Aurora Chapter's Predators.

Resolving to be cautious for when he would encounter this thing, he then relayed this information to General Korden who was still aboard _The Chariot_ as well as to his fellow Force Commander among the Executioners. Curious of how progress was commencing on the moon of the unknown world, he then opened a Vox-link to the _Bastion of Dorn_, another Battle Barge which like the _Vosotho_ had a long and storied history dating back to their respective founding Chapters. The Force Commander was then greeted by the pale face of a bald headed Chapter Serf who dutifully remained respectful towards him.

'Hail to you lord Cornelius, of the Sons of Guilliman, how may I aid you?' asked the Serf in a dutiful manner.

'My Skull-Probes have detected a xenos presence on the planet below us' replied the Aurora Chapter Force Commander. 'What news from the reconnaissance forces sent to it's moon?'

'One moment my lord' then said the Serf who was most likely adjusting something from a terminal aboard the _Bastion of Dorn_'s bridge and data immediately began flowing into the Vosotho.

The holo-screen in front of the Force Commander then switched to the view of an Executioner Skull-Probe which had a time-stamp on the upper right of the screen marking this recording as of only being made less than a minute ago. Moving in the company of a squad of Scouts armed with Boltguns, they traversed through dense jungle terrain while staying alert for any possible hostile contact.

Vox-reports had filtered in through the Skull-Probe that Mechanicus survey teams had established a base of operations for the Imperial Guard's Catachan Jungle Fighters as well as another base for the Executioners. One of the Scouts then began shouting something in some debased Feral World tongue and the Skull-Probe looked up to see a hideous flying beast that somewhat resembled a spider with leathery flesh connecting between its legs trailing after them.

'Shoot it down!' ordered the Scout Sergeant and as one the squad opened fire with their Boltguns. D_ak-dak-dak_ came the staccato of bolter fire as the rounds flew and exploded on the chitinous flesh and membranous wings of their stalker and rather surprisingly still managed to stay afloat just for a moment before it expanded what seemed to be its wings. Something was then spat out of the creature which quickly turned around and flew away with great speed and suddenly there was a loud blood-curdling cry from one of the Scouts.

The Skull-Probe turned towards a Scout Marine whose chest exploded in a shower of ceramite, bone and gore as two winged creatures just leaped out at once with one latching on to the face of another nearby scout, clawed appendages being raised while the other was lost from view.

Frantic fire then broke out as whatever it was quickly moved about and the Scout who face was covered cast aside his gun and used both hands to forcefully remove the thing and when he did, the Force Commander saw the bloody ruin of the young marine's face before he hurled it down and stomped on it with all of his might. After a seemingly long period which in actuality was just six seconds, silence descended upon the squad of Scouts as one of the others managed to shoot whatever had burst out of the chest of their unfortunate brother.

A rustling among the brush was heard and the Skull-Probe immediately deployed its sensors where it picked up several dozens of bio-signatures. A grim look then came upon the face of Force Commander Cornelius as he watched dozens of small winged creatures roughly the size of Tyranid Gaunts leap out from the foliage in a tide of chitin, claws and teeth. Bestial screeches filled the recording's audio as the Astartes leader heard the muffled sound of pained screams of limbs being severed and flesh torn to ruins as the swarm of the things ripped the Scouts apart.

The Skull-Probe was then attacked as the screen suddenly went black before returning to the stunned face of the Chapter Serf from earlier whose visage had grown paler with an expression of muted horror. As the Force Commander was about to inquire something, a quick warning klaxon aboard the bridge was heard as one of the Aurora Chapter's own Serfs began calling to Cornelius' attention.

'My lord, we have an incoming transmission' said an old man dressed in forest green robes and sitting by a nearby Vox terminal.

'Patch it through' replied the Force Commander and the holo-screen became grainy for a moment before finally revealing an incredibly alien and inhuman face of an insect-like creatue with bright green glowing eyes, chitinous armor platings and two tusk like appendages growing out from where a man's chin would be.

'This is Broodmother Araz'Kesh and we demand that you Terrans identify yourselves!' came a horridly scratchy and raspy voice from the creature on the screen which somehow communicated in a manner that was somehow understood by the Imperials.

'This is Warlord Thorgar Guthrum of the Executioners' then came the enraged voice of the other Force Commander whose face appeared on a separate screen with a look of barely controlled for he too had just witnessed what had happened. 'What manner of foul xenos are you supposed to be?'

'We are the Zerg, we are the Swarm!' replied the insectoid creature which did not seem to possess a mouth, thus raising the possibility of psychic communication or some other stranger means, he was also concerned by the fact that it had earlier used the word "Terran" which suggested that it knew what humans were, if so then there was very much the possibility of a lost colony somewhere. 'Your presence here violates our treaty with Emperor Valerian Mengsk!' it then added in an accusing manner.

'Emperor Mengsk?' incredulously questioned Warlord Guthrum which then confirmed Cornelius suspicions but was now concerned by the mention of a treaty for how could other humans possibly make peace with such vile xenos? 'We are warriors of the God Emperor of Mankind!' declared the other Force Commander 'We answer only to the authority of Him on Earth!'

'Earth?' then spoke the creature in a way that suggested that it too knew of humanity's cradle. 'Are you Terrans of the United Earth Directorate then?'

'I know nothing of this Directorate, but we are of the Imperium of Man and you have spilled human blood!' hotly responded the Warlord. 'Prepare for extermination xenos filth!'

With that, communications were cut and the Aurora Chapter Force Commander let out a sigh through grimaced teeth as this meant that they had just now been dragged into a war with an unknown xenos race. If things were completely up to him, he would have at least tried to learn more about these aliens before starting a war for the grave was filled with fools who rushed headlong into danger. Shaking his head in disapproval he then opened communications with _The Chariot_ and was greeted by the face of General Korden.

'I know as well what happened' said the General who was surrounded by a thin mist of grey smoke, his expression darkened by the news as well. 'I am already receiving reports of hostile contact with these, Zerg, Colonel Thatch and the Catachan XXX are currently down there on the moon and are spearheading all Imperial Guard operations.'

'We should be wary of the other xenos' said the Force Commander who really wished to investigate the possibility of other humans in this unknown part of the galaxy but for now had to deal with more pressing concerns. 'It would be ill-advised to start another war against an enemy we know nothing about.'

'Agreed' nodded the General. 'I have already relayed orders to all of my forces to return to base and fortify our foothold.'

'Emperor be with you' then said the Force Commander who then ended the communications link and began relaying orders to his own forces on the main planet.

* * *

'We have orders to return to base!' bellowed Commissar Geron Arnaud towards the squad of Rough Riders he had been assigned to of which in total numbered six members, including himself. Word had come in that the Catachan XXX as well as the Executioners Chapter had made contact with an unknown but hostile xenos species while the Aurora Chapter had detected the presence of another and altogether different alien presence on this world.

'Permission to speak sir?' saluted one of the Guardsmen, a Cadian Corporal who probably would have been shot on the spot by another Commissar but Arnaud had always favored the Cain Doctrine taught by certain circles within the Schola Progenium which emphasized the importance of building trust and camaraderie among the common Guardsmen.

'The horses are tired sir, we should give them more time to rest' said the Corporal and just by looking at the beasts, the Commissar could see why. Gathering around a shallow pond with water that had been considered safe enough for human consumption (after of course proper purification), the rather shaggy steeds which had been given as a gift to the 999th from the grateful populace of a frozen world were more used to the climate of tundras over the temperate weather which while pleasant to the Cadians, was downright sweltering for them as their fur was soaked in sweat.

'We'll give them five more minutes' nodded the Commissar for the Cadian 999th currently only had about three dozens horses left after their last campaign which had pitted them against Feral Orks on another frigid world. So far, they only had enough of the beasts to field about three full strength squads, seven at the most if they divide them into the smallest possible units of five members each.

While waiting for their mounts to recuperate, the squad of Rough Riders formed a perimeter with each man keeping keeping an eye out for any possible dangers, hands gripped on the handles of their laspistols. The Commissar was perhaps a little nervous because had heard the Vox report of unknown xenos drones like those of the Tau and were even equipped with stealth technology.

Aware that the Tau deployed floating machines which were also armed with their equivalent of sniper rifles, he kept quiet about this bit of information because the last thing he needed was the men jumping at every shadow.

One of the horses then whinnied and began stomping on the grassy ground and immediately the others became agitated as well. Noticing the discomfort of the beasts which possessed keener senses of hearing and smell than Men, his palms began to itch and the Commissar quickly considered the idea of mounting up and ordering them to fall back at once. The hairs on the back of his neck stood as his skin broke into goose-flesh for there was a sudden unnatural change in the air, like when a psyker used their powers.

+_Peace Terrans, I mean you all no harm_\+ came a feminine voice within their minds and suddenly appearing before the squad of Rough Riders was a slender grey skinned creature that practically towered over them all.

'Oh frak, xenos!' cried one of the Rough Riders who drew his laspistol towards it with an agility that would have made a gun-slinging desperado proud.

+_I come in peace_\+ repeated the alien who lifted up a pair of hands with each extremity possessing four digits adorned with gilded jewelry that ended in claw-like nails. Dressed only in loose bright yellow robes with blue glowing eyes, he noticed that the alien had no mouth and he realized that it was communicating with them through telepathy.

'Witch...' whispered the Corporal in a horrified tone who came to the same conclusion as the Commissar quickly attempted to salvage the situation.

'Who or what are you?' questioned the Commissar who did his best to hide his revulsion towards the alien. There was something about this creature's mannerism and appearance which uncomfortably reminded him of the effete Eldar.

+_I am Lacea_\+ gently answered the alien who continued to speak into their minds and he began to feel a strange calming effect on his nerves which part of him realized was some form of psyker witchcraft.

'Get out of my head!' frantically demanded the first guardsman who spoke earlier and he fired a lasbolt from his pistol that would have struck the alien in the throat but instead had dissipated in a flash of blue light which the Commissar recognized as of being some form of defensive shield.

+_How disappointing_\+ then said the alien who suddenly leapt towards the Commissar who already had his plasma pistol and power sword drawn. As the alien's clawed fingers were about to grasp for his throat he instinctively slashed at it and the xenos exploded in a puff of blue smoke and leaving no trace as of ever being there in the first place.

'We need to leave, now!' ordered the Commissar and one of the Rough Riders suddenly collapsed to his knees as his head fell to the ground and blood sprayed out like a geyser from the stump of his neck. Another Rough Rider was suddenly lifted up to the air, a bloody wound had instantly appeared in the center of his chest while a third man was split in half from the waist with entrails spilling out.

'Feth!' hissed the Commissar who immediately sprinted towards the horses that were now wildly braying while lifting their hooves, he then heard a cry anguish as another Rough Rider fell with blood bursting from his back. The Corporal then tripped and landed hard upon the grassy ground, the Commissar looked back to see the man and without thinking it he rushed forward to help him.

As he was about to reach the NCO, the man suddenly jerked as blood burst from his mouth and something hard smashed into his face. Stars exploded in the vision of the Commissar as consciousness threatened to leave him and he instantly felt another impact as something struck his chest as if an ork had just punched him. Collapsing to his knees and left winded, the Commissar dropped his weapons as he gasped and tried to get air back into his lungs and he heard a loud thud as something heavy stepped onto the grass in front of him.

Looking up, he saw four tall, mouthless grey skinned aliens with blue glowing eyes, golden armor adorned with bones and gleaming energy weapons that formed into blades. He immediately recognized that the smallest of them was the creature, Lacea whose eyes had narrowed into an almost glaring-like expression with right arm raised and clawed hand clenched tightly into a fist. Commissar Arnaud barely felt it when the punch landed and he was soon consumed by darkness.

* * *

+_The Terran officer is still alive Executo_r+ stated one of the Avengers as the small party had now allowed themselves to become visible for there were no immediate threats nor were there any other pieces of sensory equipment which their Observer could detect.

+_We will take this one prisoner_\+ commanded Lacea who firmly grabbed the unconscious human by the collar of his garments which somewhat resembled those used by the Terran Dominion's own military leaders.

The Velari Executor then sent her thoughts to the cloaked Observer that accompanied them and it instantly delivered a message back to New Talematros that requested for a Nexis to make a Strategic Recall on their position. A sphere of cyan light instantly then engulfed the assembled Avengers and after another second they all vanished along with their unconscious prisoner.

The wind blew upon the empty plain for all that had been left of the Cadian Rough Riders were corpses and their horses of which had remained unharmed. After about an hour, a floating Skull-Probe would discover the bodies of the missing squad and report back to the main Imperial base. But by then, the conflict had already escalated into full scale war.


	2. Chapter 2

'You call that digging?! My grandma can work faster than you lazy bastards and she is frakking dead!' bellowed Colonel Garret Thatch towards one of the many hundreds of workgangs that were busily fortifying the main Imperial base now called Point Alpha which was located on an open savanna near the dense about the entire XXX regiment which was at full strength were down here carrying shovels and furiously attacking the ground itself while numerous scouting parties had been sent out into the jungle.

The air was thick with the smell of sweat and burnt promethium for aside from the Catachans, there were Sentinels armed with heavy flamers and chainsaws along with squads of flamer-armed infantry slashing and burning down vast swathes of the surrounding brush of wild grass as well as what few trees there were to ensure that they had a clear line of sight.

Bugs he thought with disdain a warp-damned species of space bugs that called themselves Zerg had infested the planet and had made the mistake of spilling Imperial blood. He didn't know what was weirder, that they encountered a bunch of overgrown space insects that seemed an awfully lot like the Tyranids or the fact that these things were somehow able to communicate with them in the first place.

Numerous skirmishes had broken out already as these Zerg seemed to seploy small packs of creatures which came in different shapes and sizes and often they would retreat as soon as they appeared, some saw this as cowardice but the Colonel knew it when an enemy was merely testing them.

This was an enemy they knew nothing about so a certain degree of caution was vital until they had more intel, so for now it was important that they at the least fortify Point Alpha as best they could. Although the Catachans themselves were highly adept at setting deadly traps such as mines, pits filled with sharpened stakes, snares, dead-falls and other such curious arts which possessed an efficacy that need not be witnessed by their own eyes, it would only go so far when facing a massed horde of enemies, especially if they were anything like the Tyranids.

Currently, they were working to establish trench lines, fox-holes and sandbag walls where Heavy Weapons Squads could set up and rain hell on an attacking army and there were already ongoing efforts to create the necessary earthworks to accommodate larger vehicles and other fortifications that would be brought in from the other Regiments.

As much as the Colonel didn't like the idea of having non-Catachans hogging precious space at Point Alpha, he knew the limits of the Jungle Fighters and their combat doctrines which prevented the use of most Astra Militarum vehicles, save for their own modified Sentinels.

In time he knew that they would have themselves a damn fine fortress ringed with enough guns, cannons and traps that would make even the most brain-dead Ork think twice about attacking. He especially couldn't wait to see the aliens just get blown to bits when they came within range of the Basilisks and the Wyverns because as soon as their defenses were complete, there would be a real rumble in the jungle.

* * *

Many, many leagues to the south where the humans had established their base was a vast valley where all of the greenery of the wild jungle had been smothered by a blanket of writhing dark purple goo. Upon this viscous substance known to the inhabitants of the Koprulu Sector as Creep, were numerous living structures of chitin, bone, flesh and sinew, many were the dwelling places of specific strains of combat organisms but far more were the defenses built to ward off any invaders. At the heart of this living cluster was the heart of the colony, the Hives which had formed a great ring around a massive grey worm-like creature which was a key component to the strength of the Swarm.

Resembling the Cerebrates of old, its sprouted long fleshy tendrils that connected to the Primary Hives which in turn provided each of the broods a great deal of genetic information, courtesy of Evolution Master Abathur before his recent treachery on Gystt.

Through this creature, the leading Broodmothers were able to make use of the different strains and mutations which the Queen of Blades had acquired during the war against the Dominion as well as some of the older ones used under the Overmind's reign, to better cater to the personal tastes of each leader.

Some preferred organisms meant for nothing more than direct assaults while others employed subtler means of eliminating their foes which created a diverse array of organisms which the Swarm could use on the battlefield. One such Broodmother was Araz'Kesh of the Zasz Brood for the Zerg sent to this moon which the Xel'naga called Un'lazar had taken up the names of the old Cerebrates to better identify their methods of warfare. Bearing hides that were the color of bright orange, the Zerg of the Zasz brood favored speed, surprise and ferocity as their chief weapons and thus had altered themselves accordingly.

Clutches of eggs pulsated around the Primary Hive of the Zasz Brood and the first to break out were a pair of winged Zerglings, Raptors which were capable of scaling steep cliffs and attacking foes that foolishly believed that natural formations of the ground can protect them. As soon as these creatures emerged, their minds were already subsumed by one of the hundreds of Overlords that lazily drifted above the valley and control of them was given over to the Broodmother who directed the pair to the nearest Nydus Network.

Soon, more warriors would hatch from their eggs, ranging from Roach Viles to Impaler Hydralisks, Creeper Swarm Hosts and at least one Noxious Ultralisk with many, many more on the way for each of the Hives of every Brood had gorged on an abundance of smelted minerals and processed vespene.

Of the Broodmother herself, she patiently watched and waited for like all of her kind, the broods were an extension of her will. Through the eyes of Overseers and other lesser minions, she observed the brutal battles as human warriors clashed with the Swarm and she made a number of mental notes which she would share with her fellow leaders. On one particular location, she watched as a group of ten heavily armored humans in the colors of silver do battle against her own minions within the thicket of the jungle.

Despite appearing somewhat like the Marines of the Terrans, these warriors were noticeably larger, stronger and faster as they made use of jet packs like those of the Reapers and in their hands were roaring weapons that possessed many moving teeth and handheld firearms that launched explosive rockets.

Wading into a large pack of more than a dozen Raptors on wings of fire, they were heedless of the multitudes of claws and teeth from her minions which provided an excellent opportunity for the Broodmother who sent a mental command to another pack composed of Baneling Hunters. The suicide beasts which had stayed out of the fighting by remaining buried, had rapidly emerged from their holes and rolled forth to the human warriors who continued to slaughter the Raptors with ease.

By the time the Baneling Hunters got within range, they immediately launched themselves up into the air towards the humans and one of the warriors futilely lifted up his gun in an attempt to shoot it before it exploded close to his face. The humans roared in agony as they were drenched in corrosive acid, their armor proved to be much sturdier than what Araz'Kesh had expected for it took multiple detonations from the Banelings to kill even one, this was an important thing to note as it suggested that these warriors were heavily armored, thus necessitating the need for Zerg organisms better suited for eliminating such foes.

Taking advantage of this opportunity the few remaining Raptors of which there were now only six leaped towards the nearest human and dragged him down before savaging him with their claws which now had an easier time tearing through the acid melted armor.

The surviving humans of which there were now five quickly assaulted the Raptor Zerglings despite their injuries from the acid and the Broodmother sent a mental command to a burrowed pack of Impalers to begin their attack. As the humans easily butchered the remaining Raptors, the ground trembled beneath them as several worm-like tendrils tipped with sharp fangs burst out from the ground to skewer them.

During the war against the Terran Dominion's previous Emperor, the Impalers had proven useful in eliminating the heavily armored units of the Terrans at long distances such as their Siege tanks, Marauders and Thors, against these Imperium Terrans, their effectiveness remained as potent as ever.

Such was the strength and speed of the worm-like tentacles of the Impalers that it easily tore through the entire bodies of the human warriors. At least one was lifted up into the air as two tendrils skewered him while another was painfully struck between from beneath, between his two legs and the tendril burst out from his head in a shower of gore before easily sliding back into the ground. One of the humans proved fast enough to sever an Impaler's tendril, his roaring many-toothed weapon cleaved through it but he did not have time to strike a second that hit him in the gut.

Only two humans had somehow managed to survive the attacks of her Impalers, they did not survive the second wave of strikes which came less than two seconds after the first. As soon as all of the humans were dead along with her Raptors of which was of little consequence to Araz'Kesh, she ordered her minions to re-position themselves for there many more foes nearby. The Broodmother felt pleased to have learned something of value about these, Imperium Terrans and she immediately connected her thoughts to those of an Overlord that would send out what she learned to the other Zerg leaders.

Despite Overqueen Zagara's desire for peace with the other beings of the Sector as well as to restore life, Araz'Kesh so did enjoy bloodshed and it was something which she dearly missed over the years.

* * *

Peering over a holo-display table were the three Warlords, the Captains of the Executioners Chapter aboard the _Bastion of Dorne_ along with two of their nine Deathspeaker Chaplains who all studied what seemed to be a vast valley where the Battle Barge's augurs had detected a significant amount of bio-signatures.

Having requested the use of the Astra Militarum's long range scanners at Point Alpha, they were able to get a clear image of some of the xenos nesting site and had patiently waited until they were able to get a full view of the region.

'This must be the main hive' commented Warlord Sarthos, a scar-faced ebon-skinned man of the 6th Company who was a Terminator armored veteran of numerous campaigns against the Tyranids as well as missions into Space Hulks. The eyes of each Astartes leader was focused on studying the holographic landscape, and they noticed that these Zerg, like the Tyranids were capable of building living structures which seemed to be positioned in a manner which formed a spiraling pattern. 'And there must be something important at the center of it'

'Perhaps it is the guiding intelligence of these xenos?' theorized Deathspeaker Dolgar who wore the skull-faced helmet commonly worn by the Chaplains of the Adeptus Astartes.

'It seems quite likely' nodded Warlord Guthrum who led the 5th Company while stroking his beard. 'I am more concerned about the many flyers which these xenos possess.'

'Aye, our forces currently possess three full squadrons of dedicated anti-air vehicles, two of which are already on the moon.' commented another Deathspeaker named Magnar who held up a data-slate. 'The rest of our Rhino-chassis vehicles have mostly been outfitted to become Vindicators.'

'What of our own flyers?' questioned Warlord Sarthos towards Magnar who then began tapping his gauntlet covered right hand on slate's screen.

'We currently maintain a dozen Thunderhawks, twelve Stormraven Gunships, six full Stormtalon squadrons as well as another six full Landspeeder squadrons' answered the Deathspeaker.

'That seems more than adequate' grinned the heavily cybernetic Warlord Halfdan of the 7th Company whose bionic eyes seemed to glow a bit brighter.

'It may be wise that we also call upon the Imperial Navy and the Guard to support this assault' suggested Dolgar which drew a sneer from Halfdan.

'And give up the glory of these kills!?' incredulously asked the 7th Company captain who over the course of more than a century slaughtering the Emperor's enemies, his body had been so replaced by machinery that he might as well been one of the sons of Ferrus Manus.

'There is still much about these Zerg which we know nothing about' calmly explained the Deathspeaker. 'We do not know the functions of those flying beasts that swarm across the valley, nor do we know the purpose of those towers upon the mountains.'

'You worry too much!' bellowed Halfdan with a laugh as he then looked to Sarthos. 'In all of your years fighting the Tyranids, have you ever seen them use anything that posed a serious threat to our flyers?'

'Only their airborne beasts' answered the Warlord of the 6th Company who had never seen any form of dedicated anti-air or even the sort of weapons that could serve as an effective defense against orbital attacks.

'Exactly!' exclaimed Halfdan. 'Our Stormtalons are more than enough to maintain control of the sky and once we do, we will crush these xenos under our boots!'

'We will follow through with this' nodded Warlord Guthrum who wanted nothing more than take the skull of the leader of these Zerg and make a trophy out of it. 'We will make ready to strike at the heart of this swarm, For Dorne! For the Emperor!'

* * *

The smell of blood hung heavy in the humid tropical air as Veteran Sergeant Blaine of the Catachan XXX cautiously stepped over a fallen twig that would have snapped under his weight, his strong meaty hands tightly held onto a Meltagun as he lead the way for his scouting party of seven Devils.

Merely five steps away from him was the bloody carcass of some unlucky critter with meat savagely torn off from the bone and scraps of black fur lying about. A clawed hands lay lifelessly in the grass, clenched tightly as if balled to a fist and judging by the look of it, it must have belonged to a predatory beast.

'Pretty fresh by the look of it' observed the squad's Demolition Man, Marco who carried a Grenade Launcher as he leaned over to get a closer look. 'No bugs too, very fresh kill indeed.'

'Keep your eyes peeled men!' ordered Blaine and the Catachan Devils began looking about towards the surrounding jungle with shotguns raised.

Although effective as a weapon for close quarters engagements, the combat shotguns employed throughout the Imperium's armed services were for the most part, ineffective against armored targets but being a squad of elite infantry, the Catachan Devil had priority when it came to requisitioning the good stuff.

Each member of the squad had loaded up on the somewhat common Solid Slug Shells which sacrificed the shotgun's scatter effect in exchange for being more effective at tearing through flesh and armor. After a tense moment, the natural choir of jungle life continued unabated and the squad of Devils cautiously moved on but after a few more steps, one them found a trail.

'Look over here Sarge' called one of the other Devils named Sloane who gestured his head towards patch of dirt and the Sergeant went to investigate. When he got there, Blaine knelt by the ground which had been moved about in a rather sinuous and fluid manner, as if a massive serpent had just passed by and judging by the patterns, there were probably about six of them.

'Anyone here feel any movement below?' questioned the Sergeant for he had heard reports of these Zerg possessing creatures that looked a lot like the Raveners of the Tyranids.

'Nothing sir' replied a man named Jacks and the Sergeant believed it because he couldn't as well.

One did not just become Catachan Devil purely by luck or skill, no what made the Devils what they were was also natural instincts. Every Devil prided themselves for the fact they each possessed extremely razor sharp senses, honed to the point that it would have been virtually impossible to sneak up on them.

In the past, Sergeant Blaine's squad had played numerous cat and mouse games of stealth and deception with Ork Kommandos, Tyranid Lictors and even the heretical followers of Chaos that made use of dark sorcery, the fact that they were still standing and not their enemies was a testament to the skills of his squad.

A shadow then passed over the canopy and the squad looked up to see a massive, bulbous alien creature with giant crab-like claws, a red carapace, no wings, and far too many eyes than what any natural creature should have. Raising his Meltagun, he made a quick mental calculation and did not shoot for his Meltagun's beam would not reach it.

'The frakk is that thing?' questioned Marco who had his grenade launcher raised.

'Hell do I know, but our scouts have spotted hundreds of them flying about' replied Sergeant Blaine who was unnerved as it felt like it was watching them.

Unable to do much about it, they crouched down into the brush and continued their scouting mission while moving as quietly as possible. They had orders to reconnoiter what seemed to be some sort nesting site which aerial reconnaissance had spotted sometime earlier, its position was a little too close for comfort with Point Alpha.

After about half an hour of trudging through the jungle at a slow pace and with the many eyed flying thing continuing to shadow their movement, they eventually came upon cleared section of the jungle where in the distance, about a click away they saw a massive maw with rows of sharp teeth, each one about the size of a man.

Whipping out a pair of magnoculars, the veteran sergeant was able to get a better look at the terrain surrounding this alien beast which looked big enough to swallow Warhound Titan. The soil within the clearing was covered in some sort of purple goo where a series of large fleshy pillar-like things covered in spikes writhed along with massive tentacles extending from the ground, each tipped with a sharp blade as big as a Tyranid Carnifex's claw and facing downwards, like a spear ready to stab at a foe.

Flying above the maw were numerous alien flying beasts, some they noticed were winged serpentine creatures while others looked like floating giant red crabs and others somewhat resembled ancient terran ray fish, the last two of which were large enough to rival the size of a Land Raider.

This must be the nesting site thought the veteran sergeant who then placed his right hand over the comm-bead around his head and he was able to send out a signal on an encrypted channel.

'Command, this is Veteran Sergeant John Blaine' he spoke. 'I have visual confirmation on the xenos nesting site, over.'

'We're reading you sergeant' replied the voice of woman over at Alpha Point with an accent that did not sound Catachan. 'Send us your coordinates, over.'

'Our coordinates are-'

Suddenly, there was a whistling sound in the air, like that of an arrow in flight followed immediately by a pained gurgling as a razor sharp projectile struck a Devil named Collins directly on left side of his throat. Blood gushed from the wound and mouth of the man whose eyes widened in surprise and he clutched at his oozing throat, but there were more whistling sounds and the squad immediately went to the ground. The fact that none of them sensed any nearby xenos must have meant that whatever was shooting at them had done so at a great distance.

'Oh what the hell!?' shouted Marco as the whistling continued and they heard the cracks of wood splintering. 'These damn bugs got snipers!?'

'Shut your trap and get ready to move!' scolded Blaine who reached for a smoke grenade attached to his bandolier and he removed the pin with his teeth before tossing it to the ground behind him while taking one last lungful of the humid jungle air.

'Sergeant!? what's going on over there!?' came the voice of the female vox-officer.

'Hostile contact!' replied the Sergeant who immediately then decided to maintain radio silence for now.

Popping with a hiss, the smoke grenade unleashed a gray cloud that would soon conceal the Catachan Devils and after a few moment they got up and began to make a run for it. Glancing back to see his squad, he saw Sloane and Jacks carry the Collins by the arms, he couldn't tell if the man was dead or alive but there was no way in hell he was leaving anyone behind, especially if there was still a chance to save him. Marco was the last to leave the cloud and as soon as he took two steps out, a long serpentine tentacle suddenly wrapped around his waist and he was pulled screaming back into the smoke cloud.

'Oh for the Emperor's sake!' cursed Sergeant Blaine who made a quick mental headcount of the squad. One man was down, another just went missing which left five of them, two of which were attending to the wounded. 'Rodriguez, Barrick, with me, Sloane, Jacks, help Collins!'

'Yes sir!' saluted Sloane who had also been assigned to carry a medi-kit but the fallen Devil was already looking deathly pale.

'Let's go Devils!' roared the Sergeant who crouched down into the brush and the other two followed suit.

Moving as quietly as they could, they went through the smoke cloud again and when they came out of the opposite end, they were back at the edge of the clearing where they saw the flying gathering around at one spot. Narrowing his eyes, he saw about half a click away was Marco firing his grenade launcher at the airborne beasts, their altitude was too high up the explosives to reach and they uselessly fell back down to the ground to explode.

The flying crab-things then spat out a series of massive brightly glowing green orbs that reminded Blaine too much of Tyranid Bio-Plasma towards Marco who in the next moment was screaming in agony as acid melted his body and the explosives he carried detonated in a shower of smoke and fire.

'Mother-frakker!' hissed the Veteran Sergeant as the flying beasts then turned towards them and his eyes widened as he saw the crabs things and and the flying rays begin firing more bio-plasma towards them as well as smaller flying creatures. No words were needed to be said as the Devils quickly began making a run for it back to the now dissipating smoke cloud and this time they did not bother trying with stealth.

Rodriguez gave out a loud yelp as two small creatures that looked like a cross between a ray-fish and an insect collided onto his back, such was the savagery of these things that in a blink of an eye his ruined spinal cord was already visible. Taking only a moment to stop, he quickly raised his Meltagun up to the hip and Blaine pressed the trigger which sent out a bright beam of super heated gas that vaporized the two things which burst into a red mist along with the body of Rodriguez. Explosions of green Bio-Plasma detonated near him and the Veteran sergeant was on the move again.

After catching up with Barrick who had stopped to explain what happened, Sergeant Blaine noticed the pallid and still body of Collins, a pool of blood had already surrounded his head while there was a gaping hole through his neck. The Veteran Sergeant had like every Catachan seen enough death to know when someone was gone and he innately cursed at these damn xenos for killing another squad.

'Not a damn thing we could do' said Sloane who held up a bloody barbed thing that looked somewhat like an arrow head. 'Frakkin thing was lodged tighter than a cogboy's chrome.'

'Get moving Devils, the damn bugs got flyers!' bellowed the Sergeant and in the next moment they were already on the run.

* * *

Curious, thought Broodmother Araz'kesh as she saw through the eyes of a Viper the futile attempts of a human who attempted to shoot several airborne organisms with one of those... grenade launchers which were nothing like those used by Vultures or Marauders. The Guardians of the Daggoth Brood had made quick work of the soldier and they turned their attentions along with those of the Brood Lords towards the rest of the human pack to which they unleashed a salvo of acid spores and broodlings while an Overseer kept them in its sight. The humans managed to get away and already she had packs of Zerglings and Hydralisks that would be in pursuit, the latter of which had managed to kill one warrior earlier.

These humans did not seem to consistently arm themselves thought the Broodmother who had been going over what she had learned through the eyes of her many minions across Un'lazar. Among the Terrans and their infantry, one knew what to expect when encountering the different types of units which they used, such as how their Marines could defend themselves against both ground or air targets, how their psionics employed stealth technologies or how their more heavily armed troops were helpless against anything in the skies. These Imperium Terrans on the other had armed themselves in ways that would keep the Swarm guessing with these warriors who were equipped with no form of body armor and wearing red cloths around their heads being a prime example.

In one skirmish, she watched as a horde of Swarmling strain Zerglings of the Araq Brood supported by her own Ravagers, attempted to overwhelm a large human pack. While mostly armed with guns that fired laser bolts, more than a few carried large flamethrowers and grenade launchers as well as guns that fired a hail of explosive rounds.

These humans were doing an admirable job in holding back the tide of Swarmlings, until a glob of corrosive bile hit one of the fire-wielding soldiers and he exploded along with another one while others began scattering about to avoid being hit by the bombardment of her Ravagers which would soon cost them dearly.

In another area, she saw several walking vehicles, somewhat like the Terran Goliaths, backing away from an encroaching horde of more Swarmlings from the Gorn Brood. A number of the vehicles were armed with weapons that unleashed a storm of rapidly firing laser bolts or explosive shells while others remained as close as possible to incinerate the horde with greats gouts of flame or massive bolts of searing plasma that would explode on impact.

At the rear of these walkers were units launching rockets that would detonate with showers of metal shards or cannons that also launched large solid shells that could easily rip through entire groups of Zerglings which soon were were forced to retreat after sustaining far too many losses.

Of the heavily armored marine-like warriors, she noticed that they possessed a strong predilection for close combat and they fought in a manner that was all too familiar to the Swarm. Taking no heed to their own losses, they furiously fought on with more of those roaring teeth weapons, glowing blades, electrical claws, massive fists while also using guns that were well suited for close range.

These humans were currently engaged in a pitched battle with the Kagg Brood in a bloody war of close quarters attrition where the sheer number of zerg combat organisms were pitted against the skill and resiliency of these warriors.

+_I have had enough of this!_\+ came the impatient, psionic call of Broodmother Skirsys of the Daggoth and Araz'kesh quietly eavesdropped. +_I am sending my children to destroy their base at once!_+

+_Alone? your Brood may need support_\+ added Broodmother Xarajax of the Araq.

+_Then join me or not, we have wasted too much time already_\+ replied Skirsys and Araz'Kesh through her many Overseers could see that dozens of winged organisms were taking flight from the Spires placed upon the mountains.

+_But what if they are holding back, like we are?_\+ cautiously suggested Broodmother Urstara of the Nargil. +_They may have many more weapons and machines we have not yet seen._+

+_Then we meet destroy them all in battle!_\+ haughtily replied Skirsys. +_We have yet to encounter any serious threats to our aerial organism_, _we must take advantage of this!_+

+W_e should remain cautious_\+ finally spoke Araz'kesh. +_Clear the ground for our broods and we can begin a full-scale assault in concert with your own._+

+_Good, now let us show these humans the price for defying the Swarm!_\+ announced Skirsys with an infectious excitement which every Broodmother felt as well.

* * *

Taking a swig of water from his canteen, Colonel Thatch felt the tepid recycled water go down his throat and he tried not to think about how many times it had been pissed and reused aboard _The Chariot_. Progress was good he thought for with the help of the Cogboys and the transports from _The Onager,_ they had established numerous defensive lines filled with gun turrets and bunkers which would be linked together by trenches. Fences of barbed wire had also been established along with dragon's teeth fortifications and to the pride of the Catachans, they had laid down mine fields which at the press of a button over at HQ would become active.

The next phase of their fortification would include setting up fire support bases for the Basilisks and Hydras which would-

'Sir! we've got multiple flyers inbound to our location!' shouted a nearby vox-operator.

'Frakkin hell! Get the launchers!' roared the Colonel and in an instant alarms and sirens were being sounded all across Point Alpha as the workgangs began dropping their tools and grabbing their weapons while the slash and burn teams were immediately making their way back.

Next to the Regimental Command which served as the primary HQ for the base was an Imperial Bastion, an imposing tower of Ferrocrete that had been modified to also serve as a landing pad, one where numerous supplies had been dropped off all day.

Several crates were immediately opened up with crowbars as the Catachan Heavy Weapon Squads began grabbing everything they could use to fend off air attacks such as Missile Launchers, Autocannons or Heavy Bolters. Even the support staff at the base, especially those among the Mechanicus were busy at work calibrating and intoning litanies to the Machine Spirits of the defense guns or equipping Servitors with Heavy Bolters.

Within two minutes, they could see in the distance, numerous flying shapes heading directly towards Point Alpha from the south. Doubling their pace, they began sending orders for all scouting parties to immediately return to base while also calling for air support from the other Imperial forces. But the men of the Imperial Guard were not alone in this and the Space Marines of the Executioners Chapter of whom had their own section at the base were also making their own preparations.

Techmarines accompanied by Servitor thralls just been hard at work fortifying Point Alpha, numerous Tarantula Sentry Guns as well as heavier gun turrets equipped with either Heavy Bolters, Missile Launchers or Lascannons had been primed for action with even a number of Thunderfire Cannons loaded and readied for a ground assault.

Perhaps the most potent of all of their anti-air defenses were two squadrons of Stalker tanks, their Icarus Stormcannon Arrays were already scanning the skies for possible enemy attacks. It was a testament to the skill of the men, both among the Imperial Guard and the Space Marines that both had so quickly been able to ready themselves for battle.

Expecting the aliens to swoop in and immediately attack, they braced themselves behind trenches, sandbag walls and bunkers, waiting for the aerial assault to come but instead, they halted, far enough to be out of range from the guns of the Imperial forces and they held their position far above the ground while allowing slower aerial beasts to catch up.

Despite this tense standoff, activity in the base did not cease as at the very front of the battle lines was Colonel Thatch who had mounted a Sabre Gun Platform equipped with twin-link Autocannons. With one hand holding on to the turret's handle and the other holding on to the speaker of a Vox-unit he was busy bellowing out orders to his men across the base and communicating with the ships above.

'We got a ton of xenos flyers ready to bear down on us!' he said towards a Vox-officer above on _The Onager_ and he was absolutely furious. 'The hell do you mean the flyers are occupied!?'

'Th-that's just it Colonel' replied the terrified voice of a man on the other side of the channel. 'We've encountered xenos forces on the planet and General Korden has requested air support, we've already sent most of our Lightnings and Marauders.'

'Then send the frakking rest!' demanded the Colonel. 'If we get massacred down here, then so help me Emperor, I will come back from the grave and shove my fang so far up your-'

A sudden faint tremor was then felt by the Colonel who instinctively dropped the speaker and he immediately had both hands on the Sabre's handles. Looking out to where the swarm had halted, he saw five monstrously massive worm-like beasts burst out from the ground and the things turned their tooth-filled maws to the ground.

With a great heave, the worms began disgorging hundreds if not thousands of alien bioforms upon the plains, some he realized with a twinge of horror were absolutely massive for even from this distance, he could make out there shapes.

Large beasts that would have rivaled the size of tanks and others of knights now strode among the multitudes of xenos while many of the smaller ones emerged from the maws of the worms by the hundreds in dark rivers of chitin and claws before vanishing into the tall grass.

The sight of the horde was intimidating for sure and had they been any other Imperial Guard regiment, the Commissars would have already begun executing people to maintain order, but such was not needed for them. Every Catachan had lived with the shadow of death their entire lives and they were ready to meet it as long as they could take out as many of the enemies as possible.

'I hope they don't got no heavy artillery' nervously commented a young Jungle Fighter private who was operating a Lascannon propped behind a sandbag wall near the Colonel's position.

'Have you ever seen nid artillery son?' came the incredulous reply of another nearby soldier who wore the red beret of an officer. 'You can hit those things with a Missile Launcher or Autocannon, no sweat, its their Bio-Titans that'll kill you from afar, I doubt these Zerg can do any better.'

Seeing movement in the tall grass beyond the base, orders were shouted by officers to hold their fire as the edge of the of cleared grasslands was a little bit well out of the range of their mortars, missile launchers and other heavy weapons, to shoot now would just be a waste of ammo. Several massive flying aliens possessing numerous eyes ranged ahead of the aerial swarm before halting at the edge of the grassline, they then began spitting something onto the grass which was out of the Catachan's sight.

The grass then began to rustle again and all guns were raised in readiness, after a few tense heartbeats, there emerged five familiar human figures wearing red bandanas. Attempts were made immediately made to hail these troopers over the Vox network but there was no reply and it was possible that none of them were carrying a communications device, regardless of which the Catachans made sure to cover their retreat as they kept their eyes on the tall grass which wildly moved about but and they could see the forms of large alien beasts coming there way but still had no clear shot.

By the time the returning troopers were merely a few yards away from the first trench line, there again was movement among the foliage and this time they could see the massive shell-like backs of some large creatures moving about before going down and vanishing from sight.

Just what were these Zerg things doing? thought the Colonel who then saw dozens of shiny spheres being launched up into the air and they burst to reveal large flying beetles that immediately began flying towards them. From the grass came dozens of other similar beetles crawling on the ground and heading towards the trench line.

'Lock and load men!' roared Colonel Thatch who briefly pressed the trigger on the Sabre and he launched a single Auto-Cannon round that immediately tore a flying beetle to shreds. Instead of an actual tide of aliens, they encountered several small groups which were easily picked off by short controlled bursts or a single well placed shot.

Muttering a curse, the Colonel knew that the aliens were testing them again and he grabbed the Vox-unit's speaker which he had earlier dropped and quickly called for a sitrep with the other squads around the base. The only reports of enemy activity were from the south side of the base and he knew full well that the aliens were up to something. He then ordered the squads to hold their positions and he contacted the ships again.

'Colonel is that you?' came the voice of General Korden.

'Yeah it is General, are we getting air support or what?' asked the Colonel as he glanced to the southern field and saw more of those beetles coming along and the big flying beasts were already on the move.

'_The Onager_ is already preparing its fighters and bombers as well as reinforcements from the reserves but you will need to hold out until then!' answered the General and the Colonel was privately relieved. 'I have already contacted the Executioners and they are sending aid.'

'Alright then thanks, I mean it General' spoke the Colonel with genuine gratitude.

'May the Emperor protect you Garret, Korden out' replied the General who then cut the transmission.

Okay we can do this, privately thought the Catachan Colonel as he fully turned his attention back onto the swarm and he saw the things massing for an assault with the big flying crabs and the ray looking beasts being at the front with other flyers at the back while on the ground were other large creatures with shell-like backs that had a fiery glowing hollow sections at the center. Just a little closer he thought, just wait till they can get close enough to say hello to Mr. Sabre and his buddies Flakk and Icarus.

The aliens with the glowing hollow shells then launched bright bolts of bio-plasma that flew up into the air and began to arc back down towards the first trench line at a frightening speed while the crab-things began spitting green balls and the rays were launching something else that moved very fast as well. He briefly then felt a tremor as numerous large tentacles burst out from beneath some of the heavy gun turrets and bunkers, each one punching a hole large enough for even a fat ratling to fit through.

Globs of green Bio-plasma then struck the turrets and bunkers which caused the already damaged defenses to begin melting at a rapid pace with more than a few hitting the men with unnervingly accurate precision while shouts of pain and surprise rang out as incredibly fast small creatures tore through muscled bodies with deceptively powerful strength.

Oh frakk these Zerg have artillery thought Colonel Thatch, the Zerg had actual frakking artillery and the not the light kind like Mortars. Airborne frakking artillery that was bombing the hell out the trench lines and well out of the effective range of everything they currently had on the ground. Oh frakk he thought as he saw a glob of Bio-Plasma heading straight for him and he jumped off the Sabre in time as an explosion of powerful acids obliterated the gun platform.

* * *

+_Continue the assault my children!_\+ came the mental call of Skirsys as her Broodlords and Guardians continued to bombard the human base with acid spores and broodlings, the latter of which had been chemically supercharged to be not only hyper-aggressive but strong enough to tear through even the armor of tanks.

Mutalisks, Corrupters, Devourers, Scourges and Vipers remained nearby to provide protection against aerial foes while on the ground were Ravagers, Impalers and Lurkers which were all capable of long ranged attacks. Numerous Swarm Hosts had also burrowed into the ground beneath the artillery organisms and were sending out swarms of locusts to keep the humans distracted while the rest of the ground warriors headed back to the Nydus Worms.

Serving as their eyes among the humans were several Changelings which had taken the forms of their soldiers. Each of the shape-shifters spawned by the Overseers possessed a psionic aura that would fool the humans into believing the creatures were their kin while keeping the Swarm informed of the defenses but such beings would not last forever.

One particular Changeling of which was under the control of Araz-Kesh had feigned injury and while pretending to seek healing, it found a fairly wide and open section of the base along its western edge where several silver structures had been placed.

Noticing that these structures bore the same colors as the heavily armored marine warriors, she prepared her forces of what was to come next while also informing the other Broodmothers. Back at the primary Hive Cluster of the Zerg, there was a special Nydus Network that stood out among the rest for it contained within it a superior strain of Nydus Worms created by the Queen of Blades during the war against Amon. Sending a psionic command to the dormant nest, it awoke and began to spasm as a massive appendage burrowed beneath it and through many leagues of hard earth where it traveled at a speed that would have defied belief.

Right before the Changeling expired, it was able to witness the emergence of an Omega Worm as it burst out from the ground with a loud roar of triumph before immediately disgorging the children of every brood and spreading the Creep. From the massive maw of the Omega Worm first came dozens of banelings, both of the Hunter and Splitterling strains, the rolling creatures immediately sought out the human buildings for their acid was not only effective against lightly armored units but was also absolutely devastating when used against structures.

Entire buildings collapsed quickly as powerful explosions of corrosive acid detonated across the base's west side, the humans of course attempted to fight back and were able to kill many Banelings but all they did was delay the inevitable.

Emerging from the Omega Worm's maw then came a great tide of Zerglings accompanied by Roaches that burrowed beneath the ground, long-ranged Hydralisks and towering Aberrations which were brought for the purpose of destroying any heavily armored foes.

In response to their arrival came three silver tanks of the humans rushing in from the trench lines, each one was armed with an array of large guns that rapidly launched heavy shells that tore through dozens of Zerg at once. Having anticipated such a move, Broodmother Araz'Kesh then sent a mental command to a squirming many legged arthropod known as a Defiler which had been placed among the second wave to support the assault.

The body of the Defiler shivered with movement as it readied the countless micro-organisms that infested its carapace and with a sudden heave it launched an expanding cloud of these creatures towards a portion of the assault force that were heading directly towards the tanks.

In matter of seconds, the air was filled with a dark cloud of living organisms that served to protect the attacking horde from all manners of ranged weaponry yet against these three tanks, their protective cover did nothing which came as a surprise for Araz'Kesh.

Many more Zerglings were killed, not even the protective cover of the long legged Aberrations could help as a number of the massive beasts had their elongated limbs severed and bodies riddled with holes. At the back of the horde, the Hydralisks began their barrage of needle spines which punctured the metal hides of the machines, a single one would not be enough to destroy tank but dozens at once was a different matter.

Bursting out from the ground flanking the three tanks as well as behind were her own Roaches of the Vile Strain, their acidic saliva had been altered by Abathur to harden upon contact, thus restricting the movement of the tanks while interfering with their firing mechanism.

The rate of fire from the three tanks rapidly slowed and the armored plating of the vehicles melted but into holes large enough for the assorted Zerglings from the different Broods to enter.

The human crewmen of whom were the heavily armored warriors drew pistols and blades to defend themselves, they were soon overwhelmed by The Swarm. A mighty explosion of fire and smoke suddenly blossomed in the air above the assault force which sent hails of metal shards to cut down more of the Zerglings.

Through the eyes of a surviving Aberration, Araz'Kesh saw the distant figure of a silver and red armored human directing the fire of a multi-barreled cannon placed near the trenches while groups of other humans clumped around to defend them.

Sending this mental image to Skirsys, the Daggoth Broodmother ordered for her closest artillery organisms to begin to bombarding it. Bright green glowing globs of Acidic Spores smashed into the cannon, liquidating it while Broodlings smashed into human bodies and tearing them apart.

+_Ware the skies!_\+ came the psionic cry of Urstara and every Broodmother quickly shifted their attention above through the eyes of what Overseers had been deployed.

Burning with the heat of atmospheric entry were numerous objects, some of which looked very much like the Drop pods of the Terrans while others were clearly incoming aircraft. Every Mutalisk, Corruptor, Devourer and Viper immediately moved to intercept these reinforcements with the Scourges forming the vanguard while Guardians and Broodlords continued their bombardments of the base.

Dividing their attentions between the fighting on the ground and the air was of no challenge among the Broodmothers as they also began sending psionic commands to deploy their own reserves. Now this was where the true battle began thought the Broodmothers with anticipation for they had numerous contingency plans in place.

* * *

'The Emperor protects! The Emperor protects!' came the call over the Vox-network and Lt. Tomas Maveryn of the Imperial Navy roared those words as he thumbed the trigger on his Lightning's yoke and he launched shot after shot of Autocannon shells towards the oncoming swarm of xeno bioforms.

The last remaining fighter squadrons aboard _The Onager,_ were composed of Lightnings and Thunderbolt that fired volleys of solid slugs or laser lances which easily tore through the bodies of alien creatures that looked a cross between a hornet and worm.

There was a time once in the past when the Lieutenant had fancied the idea that when attacking from low orbit, the aircraft of the Imperial Navy would have looked like avenging angels with wings of fire. He also would have likened the flight of the aircraft to be like the cavalry charges of ancient Terra when legions of mounted knights clashed with lances in hand.

Those were more naive times for the man in the cockpit of his fighter-craft, his heart pounding as adrenaline coursed through his veins and he felt a flush of excitement as he slaughtered many of the alien things which he guessed were like Tyranid Sky-slashers, albeit of a size somewhat smaller than his Lightning and nowhere near as fast.

Firing another series of solid rounds that tore into their foul hides, he angled his fighter's wings flight and with expert skill was able to avoid getting caught by the beasts but warning runes flashed, signifying that some among his squadron were not so lucky.

Cursing these foul aliens, he then came face to face with the second wave of flyers of which composed heavily of serpentine things with great flapping wings. Behind these creatures were tentacled things that somewhat looked like massive terran squids while others looked like wasps. The squadrons fired their deadly weapons again and in turn were met with volleys of bright green bio-plasma, or purple ones and swift flying beetle-like creatures that were about as fast as a flakk missile.

He suddenly then felt an impact as a Lightning next to him was struck by a green bio-plasma shot and it actually ricocheted from it and struck his own. He then saw one of the monstrous beetles fire a purple glob of bio plasma directly towards him and he took evasive maneuvers by performing a barrel roll while firing his two lascannons in time to perfectly clip its wings. A loud wet explosion was then heard as the bio-plasma glob flew past him and more warning runes flashed as something was now clogging his thrusters.

Diverting power to the engines he tried to burn away whatever was interfering in his Lightning's mechanisms but another glob of bio-plasma struck the belly of his craft. Hissing a curse as panic began to rise, he did not have time to eject as another shot of bio-plasma directly struck his cockpit, melting his flesh and bones into a foul slurry as his Lightning went down in flames.

* * *

'You want a piece of me!? you want a frakking piece of me!?' roared Colonel Thatch who was now armed with a Flamer in one hand and a frag grenade in the other as he stood by one of the firing slits of the Regimental Command. 'Come and frakking get it!'

Hurling frag grenade after frag grenade, the Commander of the Catachan XXX who was accompanied by his Command Squad of four Veterans who mounted a last stand as the banner of the Imperium had been planted behind him. What remained of those men who had been defending the trenches were now scattered about across the entire base.

The lucky ones had sheltered within the structures used to make Imperial Guard bases of which composed almost entirely of bunkers where the infantrymen could safely fire at a foe but the rest had to make their stand out in the open.

At the front of their group were four flamer-men who unleashed torrents of liquid fire, the bodies of charred gaunt-like creatures surrounded them as explosions of shrapnel tore others to shred while riflemen kept up a steady volley of lasbolts.

One of the flame troopers began to violent jerk about as he was struck by dozens of sharp spikes and he fell on his back, dead as more and more xenos still came at them. Loudly cursing, the Colonel hated the Ravener-looking Zerg even more than the Tyranid ones as they could fire those sharp spikes at long distance and with great accuracy.

The ground then began to rumble and he cursed as a pack of six big beetle-like aliens burst out from the ground and immediately began spitting acid at them. These creature he had learned much to his frustration had possessed thick armored shells that easily shrugged off lasbolts, promethium and even frag grenades.

'Get the kraks!' he roared as one Jungle Fighter was splattered with acidic saliva, his flesh sloughed off like melted candle wax as two smaller beetles suddenly emerged from his ruined body and they too began spitting acid at the Catachans.

'On it!' replied a Veteran member of the Colonel's Command Squad who aimed his own grenade launcher at the big beetles and he launched an explosive round which sailed through the air before blowing a meaty hole through the shell of an alien and splattering those nearby with blood and chitin.

Another beetle shared the same fate as the first and before a third could be slain, the Veteran Grenadier was immediately pin cushioned by the spikes of the Ravener-things that kept their distance.

Such were the numbers of these Zerg that they soon began to overrun the Catachan's position. Jungle Fighters were dragged down fighting with Fangs stabbing and guns blazing before being silenced by the relentless tide of xenos.

A Jungle fighter next to the Colonel suddenly gave out a surprised yelp and was immediately yanked away by a long tentacle that wrapped around his waist, it was attached to flying serpent and he was hurled into the swarm where the Gaunt-things ripped him apart.

Preparing to meet his end, the Catachan Colonel was about to reach for the last grenade attached to his belt but when the sky finally darkened, he glanced up and saw to his relief the heavy forms of Astartes Drop Pods! Crashing amidst the horde and sending bodies flying, a loud impact that caused the very ground to shake, the hatches of the pods dropped to to reveal the silver armored forms of the Executioners who quickly charged into the fray with boltgun and chain weapons roaring. The last to step out of the Drop Pod was a blue armored Astartes whose very presence unnerved the Colonel who instinctively knew why.

'Hell its about damn time you got here!' said the Colonel who did his best to hide his aversion as he met the red eyed gaze of his savior.

'We were indisposed, Colonel' calmly replied the Space Marine, his voice had a mechanical quality to it as it was spoken through the grille of his helmet.

Clad in a full suit of blue and silver armor which incorporated one of those psychic hoods while wielding a staff that crackled with electrical sparks, this Space Marine was without a doubt one of their Psyker Librarians. Despite the Librarian's face being concealed underneath an Astartes helmet, Colonel could see behind the red eye lenses, the bluish glow of raw warp energy as sparks danced between the fingers of the Space Marine's left hand. Raising his staff, the Librarian unleashed a wave of energy and the Colonel suddenly felt a rush of unnatural vitality infuse him.

All around them, the Executioners and those few surviving Catachans began moving faster than what could have been possible for either a human or even a superhuman, their blades tore through chitinous bodies so fast that they could kill another before their previous victim had even hit the ground.

Their guns could be unloaded even more rapidly and be reloaded in a blink of an eye without sacrificing accuracy for to them, time itself had quickened. Dozens of Zerg were killed in those first few seconds around the Colonel as more Drop Pods had arrived and disgorged their deadly occupants.

Drawing his Fang, Colonel Thatch began bellowing out orders to the remaining Jungle Fighters before throwing himself into the thick of the fighting, intent on not letting even a Space Marine show him up. It was of his opinion that the Catachans were the toughest bastards in service to the God Emperor and he sure as hell wasn't going to even let his sons prove him wrong.

* * *

The battle for the sky had been going well, thought Broodmother Araz'Kesh, for the human aircraft had been fairly few in numbers, until the arrival of several silver armored gunships had struck the flanks and the tides were now turning. Many of the human aircraft were armed with an array of rapidly firing guns that sent streams of solid rounds and explosive shells at such a high rate that entire packs of Mutalisks and Scourges were perforated in seconds. Others were much larger machines armed with cannons that fired searing lances of laser beams that could easily go through the armor of the Corruptors and the Devourers.

Broodmother Skirsys was undoubtedly infuriated and she drove her remaining minions into a killing frenzy which lent them an added degree of speed and allowed them to more rapidly fire at the humans or close the distance. The flying organisms of the other Broods had also joined in attempting to overwhelm these humans, the remaining Mutalisks and Scourges attempted to form a living barrier while the Corruptors and Devourers kept their distance. To Araz'Kesh, she was more content to play a more supportive role in this battle as she sent psionic commands to the Vipers she had deployed.

Noticing that the squadrons of smaller silver aircraft tended to stick relatively close to one another in groups of three, the Broodmother commanded for her Vipers to unleash their own swarms. Like the Defilers, the bodies of the Vipers were infested with countless micro-organisms that could be utilized in two different ways, the first of which was a thick green clouds that would blind anything caught within but still leave them vulnerable to attacks from those outside of it. The second came in the form of another cloud of parasitic creatures that were so ravenous that they were capable of damaging the hull of even a Capital Ship and were also useful for forcing squadrons to disperse lest they receive critical damage.

As soon as the Blinding Clouds engulfed a number of the aircraft, they at first fired as one would expect, blindly through the thick screens which severely hampered the vision of those caught within it while the Devourers and Corruptors still had clear shots and continued to fire acid and parasite spores. Then came the Parasitic Bombs which were targeted towards the gunship at the center of the formation, the swarms of ever-hungry microbes rapidly ate away at the hulls of the vessels and the Broodmother wondered what the humans would do next.

One of the aircraft then exploded in a puff of fire and smoke, fragments of metal were thrown about as the other two units in its squad then broke off away from the cloud and each other, making them easier prey for the Swarm.

+_The humans are landing reinforcements_\+ called Xarajax and through the eyes of the Overseers, the Broodmothers did indeed notice the many large vessels landing further north of the base.

+_Our forces are still occupied at the base_\+ reminded Urstara. +_It will take more time to prepare another horde_+

+_then Prepare the Ultralisks_!+ commanded Araz'Kesh and the great beasts that had slumbered had finally awakened to a world of blood and fury.

* * *

'For Dorn! For the Emperor!' shouted Sergeant Thorgard of the Executioners as he drove his power sword through the body of a gaunt-like alien and shot another in the maw with his plasma pistol. Behind him were many battle brothers armed primarily with chainswords and pistols, their Chapter's focus on close combat warfare had led more than a few to emulate the Crusaders of the Black Templars of whom were fellow Sons of Dorn. With war cries upon their lips and the roar of chain weapons in hand, they tore into the xenos like a lance into soft flesh.

These Zerg were just like the Tyranids he thought, hordes of lesser creatures with far too many teeth and claws slashed and bit at them but faith, ceramite and bolters won out as they drove into the swarm! With another slash he decapitated an alien before driving his weapon into the spine of another while holding the trigger of his plasma pistol which caused the weapon to charge up. Once the weapon became close to dangerously hot, he aimed it at an oncoming group of large shelled aliens and he launched a searing bolt of energy that exploded among the Zerg and searing two of them.

Sergeant Thorgard's squad was currently protecting the right flank of Warlord Sarthos and his squad of Assault Terminators, the hallowed veterans had formed the spearhead of their force as they fought their way to the massive worm that disgorged more Zerg. Each of the Assault Terminators were armed with a pair of Lightning Claws that easily tore through the chitinous bodies of the xenos whose attacks were for the most part a mere annoyance to them. More and more of the xenos came and up ahead, the Sergeant saw a number of large monstrous centaur-like creatures that possessed disturbingly human-like appearances.

Each of the centaurs strode upon long insectoid legs that gracefully avoided the smaller Zerg, their lower jaws extended into two fang-filled mandibles and their eyes glowered with a baleful red light as their hands ended in three clawed fingers. Bolt round exploded upon the chest of some of the centaurs, causing an explosion of blood and flesh but the things kept on coming, they seemed to be tougher than they looked. As one the creature got close to the Assault Terminators, it raised a long lanky arm and slashed at one of the Veterans while they were still being assailed by the gaunt-things.

There was a loud screech of metal as its deceptively powerful claws tore furrows into Terminator armor and Thorgard was grimly reminded of the rending claws of a Genestealer. Thankfully it was unable to make a second strike as a well aimed shot from a melta gun from behind the Space Marines struck its neck and the whole head well as a large portion of the collarbone and shoulders exploded into a fine red mist. The other centaurs then began pressing their attack while the gaunt-things attacked underneath and the momentum of the Imperial forces came to a halt as they battled against these abominable fiends.

Fueled by adrenaline and his own battle-lust, the Sergeant cleaved through more of the smaller aliens as his Battle Brothers held the line while those remaining Catachan Guardsmen plugged the gaps with well placed las-fire while some among them supported the flanks with gunfire.

Roaring in laughter on the left side of their battle group were the hulking forms of the surviving Ogryns that swung about their Rippers like massive clubs. They were also fortunate to find at least some of the lumbering Abhumans who were just as eager as the Executioners to fight in close quarters for with each sweep of their weapons, several broken xenos were sent flying.

As the battle with the Zerg raged on, he saw the worm heave as it then spat out from its maw something that was absolutely nothing short of simply being gargantuan in size followed by three others. Far larger than a Tyranid Carnifex and probably similar in height to a Knight Walker and even far broader was a nightmarish xenos creature of spiked bones and chitinous shell. Four great blades extended from their arms and they immediately began digging into the ground near the worm and as soon they appeared, they vanished with a startling speed.

Soon he would feel a great tremor beneath his feet and his eyes widened in horror when he realized what it was. Before he knew it, one of the gargantuan monstrosities burst out from the ground behind the line of Executioners with deafeningly loud roars of fury as each wielded massive bone-blades that began tearing into flesh and even powered armor with contemptuous ease.

Caught between the tides of lesser aliens and these Knight-sized beasts that struck from behind their group, each possessing enough force to cleave through a tank, there was simply no hope for the combined Imperial forces to survive.


	3. Chapter 3

Heavy steps echoed within the meeting chamber of the Twilight Council as Praetor Nahomis confidently strode towards the circular table where the assembly had gathered. Physically, none of the Councilors were in attendance and in their stead were holographic projections for each member were busy making preparations for possible conflict.

While such a meeting would normally have filled Nahomis with some trepidation, he did not feel so for he was on friendly terms with two of the councilors, Lacea and Amaka for the three of them had been comrades since the First War.

+_En Taro Artanis_\+ bowed the Former Judicator with a tone of respectful subservience. +_As the Twilight Council has requested, I have come to explain my work._+

+_Proceed, Judicator_\+ spoke the hologram of Lacea who was garbed in the armor of an Avenger, her tone was a professional one befitting her status as an Executor. Her use of his old title had been spoken out of habit for it had only been a mere few years since the Hierarch had abolished the millenia old Caste system that had guided the Protoss of Aiur for generations.

+_As you all know, the honor of the Firstborn has been stained by the Queen of Blade's ascension into becoming a Xel'naga_\+ explained the Shelak Praetor with barely suppressed disgust and he saw the way the council, even the mechanical Rhenardthos bristled at this. +_It has been the hope of the Shelak Tribe that we may find something, anything left behind by the Gods so that we may reclaim what was rightfully ours._+

It was no secret that Hierarch Artanis as well as many among the Protoss were... displeased to say the least that not one among them, the Firstborn, those uplifted by the Xel'naga themselves had not ascended to become one of the Gods. It especially rankled at their honor that the one to ascend, had been Queen of Blades who was responsible for so much suffering and pain across the sector.

To Nahomis, it seemed like a cruel joke, a bitter twist of fate for if there was any shred of justice in the cosmos, the only thing which the Queen of Blades deserved was to be purged by fire.

+_And does this research have any relation to the pillar of light and the Terrans?_\+ questioned Fleet Lady Val'ritha whose hologram was seated upon a command throne, most likely aboard her personal Mothership, _Bringer of Ashes_.

+_Of the Terrans, I confess that I know nothing of them_\+ admitted Nahomis. +_But does their appearance not violate our treaty with the Dominion? Even if the Hierarch has ceased negotiations?_+

+_They are not the Dominion_\+ interjected Executor Lacea which drew surprised looks from the others. +_Nor are they of any of the disparate human factions that infest the sector and they __are __also not of the United Earth Directorate_+

'AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?' loudly asked Executor Rhenardthos whose hologram depicted the image of a flesh and blood warrior garbed in the armor of an Aiur Zealot, like those who had been in stasis aboard the _Spear of Adun_.

+_I have taken a prisoner_\+ stated Executor Lacea which elicited another round of surprised reactions from the other leaders.

+_You did what!?_\+ questioned Prelate Amaka with disbelief as his eyes widened.

+_I had taken a party of Avengers to investigate the primary landing site of the humans_\+ calmly explained Lacea. +_We found a scouting unit as well, they were hostile, despite my attempts at peaceful diplomacy._+

+_And where is this human now?_\+ questioned Amatelon who image was also seated with arms moving about as he clearly piloted the control terminal of vessel.

+_Under guard within one of our bases_\+ answered Lacea who then nodded towards someone near her position.

+_I have received your coordinates Executo_r+ spoke Amaka. +_I would like to question this human_+

+_As would I_\+ added the Fleet Lady with a malicious tone in her voice.

+_I would hear what else you have to say Judicator Nahomis_\+ then spoke Amatelon and the councilors returned their attention to the matter at hand.

+_Of the lights they are... beacons, I believe_\+ explained the former Judicator once the attentions of all in attendance were upon him.

+_Beacons? Like those we use for our fleets_?+ asked the Auriga Executor with a raised brow for the Fleet Beacons commonly used by the Protoss also affected warp space and allowed them to call upon their mightiest vessels.

+_I believe so Executor_\+ nodded Nahomis. +_From what we have learned on Ulnar and here, the Xel'naga used it as a method for communicating with and travelling to other universes._+

'COULD THESE ALIENS, THESE HUMANS BE A VANGUARD FOR THE EARTH DIRECTORATE?' boomed Rhenardthos. 'OR PERHAPS COME FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE?'

+_Either is a possibility_\+ replied Nahomis with uncertainty for he, like Lacea and Amaka were veterans of the Brood War when the United Earth Directorate invaded the sector and warred with all three races.

There were many who believed that the Directorate would return one day and that they had purposefully left behind their true armies wherever this, Earth was. The idea of the latter though was very disturbing for how was it even possible that a primitive race like the Terrans could actually exist in some other dimension?

+_Let us not make any hasty conclusions_\+ then said Prelate Amaka whose expression suggested that he had the same thought as Nahomis. +_We should try to learn of their intentions here, perhaps we can still solve this matter peacefully._+

+_I have already killed a number of their scouts_\+ reminded Lacea. +_They will also be hostile to our presence for I have seen what lies within their minds.+_

+_And what have you learned?+_ questioned Amatelon in a genuinely intrigued tone.

+_A great deal_\+ was Lacea's reply with a tone that held within it a sense of foreboding. +_Come to the outpost where I am located in, I have already committed the knowledge to an Ihan Crystal._+

+_We will be there shortly_\+ then said Amaka and the eyes of the council then turned back to Nahomis. +_You should join us Praetor, perhaps this prisoner can aid us in learning more about what the mysteries of the Xel'naga._+

+_I highly doubt that+ _commented Val'ritha whose holographic image then faded into nothing and was soon followed by the other leaders who at least gave him a nod or a brief word of acknowledgment before signing out.

Now standing alone with the Twilight Council's chamber, Nahomis quickly then turned about and headed for the exit. His mind was filled with questions and he was to say the least apprehensive for if war did come, then the blame for it would entirely be upon him.

* * *

Peering into the scope of his Astartes-pattern Sniper Rifle, Scout Sergeant Silus of the Aurora Chapters quietly watched from behind the tall grass of the open plains and he observed the xenos facility that was located near a gleaming field of golden crystals. The massive pyramid shaped structure sported a shining silvery surface with orange decorations along the base and floating upon its top was a gleaming crystal that was as brilliant as a coastal lighthouse, its brightness was what drew the Scout Squad in the first place.

Near the structure were floating orange crystals surrounded by rings of silvery metal as well as two other structures composed of three pillars and a semi oval shaped main buildings where numerous small machines that somewhat resembled Tau drones carried bright green boxes towards the the Pyramid before going back to one of the two pillared facilities.

Darkly reminded of the Monoliths of the Necrons, the Scout Sergeant reached for his Vox-unit to address his squad. Four recruits were placed under his command and he had ordered for all of them to spread out in pairs while surveying the alien outpost. Each member was garbed in the Scout pattern of carapace armor commonly used by all Space Marine trainees, they were also all wore camo-cloaks and were armed with Sniper Rifles.

'This is Sergeant Silus, status report' he said.

'We see more of those drones around the crystals' reported one of the other Scouts. 'They seem to be mining units, I can see them tearing off chunks with lasers.'

'Same here' reported another squad. 'No visual confirmation on any other units, only these mining drones'.

'Continue surveillance' ordered Silus as he lowered his rifle and began to ponder on the nature of the xenos facility.

Obviously, this installation was a mining outpost of sorts for he had overheard from the Mechanicus Enginseers how these crystals jutting out from the ground could be a possible source of raw which the factories of the Imperium could use. It was likely that the presence of the drone-like mining constructs meant that this was supposed to be a remote yet fully automated outpost, something which he had seen the Tau make use of.

What was more concerning was that if these constructs were indeed similar to Tau drones which made use of foul _Silica Animus_, then the aliens who made them represented a grave threat to all of humanity. Like most people within the Imperium, Silus had heard the old legends of how man's hubris and belief in science and logic had led to the creation of thinking machines that eventually rose up in a great rebellion that brought mankind to its knees.

As he pondered upon this, his train of thought was interrupted as several of the mining drones broke off from their collection and began to move towards the ground floating beneath the floating crystals. Spreading out, the machines then for a moment focused the gaze of their mechanical eyes to the ground and they shout out bolts of lightning that formed into swirling spheres of light.

The mining drones then began to move about around the floating crystals, each one repeating the same action that would leaver more spheres. After a short period of time, the first spheres then began to expand and take shape into something and he realized that the drones must also be some type of builder unit.

There had been a time once when the Scout Sergeant had been involved in a campaign to defend a mining world under the Aurora Chapter's aegis from the predations of Eldar slavers. The vile xenos had constructed their encampments in a similar manner by deploying pods which would transport structures from whatever hellish realm spawned them.

In less than a minute, the orbs of light then transformed from pure energy into solid matter as they took the forms of large silver and orange structures that bore the same alien designs as the pyramid. It was then that the structures became active and they began to pulse with activity as lights built into the structures intensified, after a moment he began to suspect that these were portals of a sort, like those used by the Eldar.

From some of the structures emerged tall, broad bipedal xeno warriors that bore the same colors as the buildings while from others emerged four legged walkers of different shapes and sizes. Emerging from one particular series of structures which took the form of floating metal rings, alien aircraft that somewhat resembled ancient Terran Jet Fighters or others that appeared also somewhat like Eldar Nightwings emerged one by one.

'Sir, what should we do?' came the grim voice of one of the other Scouts over the Vox.

'Fall back and report what we have seen' replied Silus before cutting the communications link and he quietly moved further into the brush and away from the xenos outpost. As the Scout Sergeant crept away, he reached again for his vox-unit and began broadcasting his coordinates towards the main Imperial base.

Should these xenos prove hostile then the Imperium would know where they were and where to bring down the Emperor's mailed fist but

* * *

Upon the lone mesa surrounded by grasslands, the mining outpost had been transformed into a full fledged fortress of the Daelaam. The three primary unit production facilities along with other support structures had been warped onto the plateau with the probes busily constructing new defenses along the cliffs.

Patiently standing by the entrance of the Nexus was Executor Lacea who was now garbed in the ancient armor of an Aiur Zealot, the helmet of which was nestled in the crook of her left arm while her right hand held onto the haft of a Solarite Reaper. Accompanying the Executor were the three Avengers two of whom were assigned as the guards to their now conscious human prisoner and next to her was a probe that carried in front of it a gleaming teal colored Ihan Crystal

The Executor did not have to wait long as she heard and saw the sharp crackles of light as several figures immediately began warping in on her location. The first to arrive was Prelate Amaka followed by Fleet Lady Val'ritha, Amatelon and lastly Executor Rhenardthos who took the form of a Legionnaire with a glowing halo of light behind him and he carried a single bladed Solarite Reaper that was as long as he was tall.

+_En Taro Adun_\+ greeted Lacea as soon as each of the fellow leaders materialized.

+_Adun Toridas_\+ replied Amaka with a slight bow as his gaze then moved towards the human prisoner behind Lacea.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw the glaring green eyes of the human officer, a Commissar as his group was called, his hands were bound behind his back with torn cloth from his outermost garments, a jacket she believed it was called and the Zealot guards both had strong hands on his shoulders. Peering into his thoughts, she could easily see the images within as he wanted nothing more than to butcher them all.

Leaving the human to his impotent rage, Lace returned her attention to her fellows and she sent a mental command to the probe next to her and it hovered towards the other leaders. Each of the other Protoss, save for the guards of course raised a single hand towards the Ihan crystal and they connected their thoughts to it.

Serving as a storage device for memories, they each relived Lacea's brief interrogation of the Commissar. The first thing they would have seen was Lacea watching her Avengers disarm the human officer of his weapons, the sword was of interest to the Templar as it suggested that these, Imperium humans were far braver than the Terrans that relied entirely upon ranged weaponry.

The next part of the interrogation was Lacea's questioning, asking the human his name, where he came from and how many humans were with him. In defiance the officer had only given his name, Geron Arnaud, his rank as a Commissar followed by a meaningless identification number and an insult calling her "alien filth"

Rolling her eyes at his infantile show of defiance, Lacea then ordered for her Avengers to hold the human down as she moved towards him and she placed her hands upon his head. The human had then demanded what she was doing and Lacea's response was to invade his mind.

The human had to his credit put up a great deal of mental resistance which in the end was futile as Lacea tore through it as easily as a _Shikma_ through the flesh of an Urubu bird. With his thoughts laid bare, Lacea learned a great deal about the human, his life, his upbringing but more importantly, the army he was part of.

Executor Lacea and now her fellow leaders had learned much about this Imperium of Man, a vast empire that spanned the entire galaxy and beset on all sides by foes from without and within. Ruled by a so-called God Emperor from a world known as Holy Terra which the Protoss believed was one and the same as Earth, its age was also a curiosity to them.

From what little Lacea knew of the Terrans and how they counted time, to them it was the year 2511 after the death of some great religious figure whose name was still invoked from time to time but to these Imperium humans, it was the year 42008. Certain that her probing of the human's mind left no possibilities of deception, Lacea had remembered that incident years ago when she had encountered a small force of this Imperium and how they initiated first contact with war, this matter of course she kept private.

As Lacea further wrenched out what knowledge she could, she had learned a great deal about the military capabilities of this Imperium of Man and more importantly that they were inimical in the extreme towards all non-human lifeforms. From the point of view of this Imperium, the universe belonged to humanity and any other race that posed a threat to be exterminated.

This view was anathema to one of the core principles that guided the Protoss Empire, the _Dae'uhl_, the Great Stewardship. For thousands of years it was the sacred charge of the Firstborn to protect all lesser races that came within their sphere of influence, to ensure that they evolved both physically and culturally without outside interference and to only take action should there be a direct threat to their Empire.

Even the Terrans had once been considered a protected species, despite their destructive habits that left the ecology of entire worlds in ruin. All that had changed of course with the coming of the Zerg but was a story which they already knew.

After every leader learned what Lacea had, they broke off their mental link with the Ihan Crystal and returned their attentions to the present. Val'ritha turned her baleful gaze to the human, her red eyes burned with the same crimson aura of psionic energy that surrounded her.

+_We should kill this human, his kind will be our enemy_\+ spoke the Fleet Lady whose hands began to crackle with crimson sparks of electricity.

+_Perhaps we can use him as a hostage for negotiation?_\+ suggested Amaka. +_Surely as an officer, he has value to them_+

+_You, human!_\+ mentally demanded Amatelon towards the prisoner who looked at them with some confusion as he did not know which of them was speaking to him. The Auriga Executor then stepped forward and kept his stern gaze leveled towards that of the human who then resumed giving him a defiant look. +_We are debating on whether we should kill you now or use you to negotiate peace, how valuable are you to your own?_+

'Then you should kill me now!' scoffed the human named Geron Arnaud. 'I would rather die than be used as some bargaining chip to negotiate with your blasphemous kind! Mark my words alien scum, the Imperium will exterminate your vile species in the name of the-'

+_Thank you for your cooperation_\+ mockingly interrupted Val'ritha whose crimson aura flared more brightly and she raised her right hand towards the human. In an instant, Geron Arnaud was engulfed in red hued void energy as the Fleet Lady cast Mind Blast on him and the human's head suddenly exploded in a shower of blood, bone and meat before he could say anything else.

The Avengers allowed the now headless carcass of the human to drop and Amaka gave a look of disapproval towards the Fleet Lady who ignored it as her eyes were closed with head looking up in pleasure of the kill. Like Highlord Alarak, the Fleet Lady had learned a similar ability that allowed her to feed on the deaths of slain foes which in turn made Val'ritha more capable as a wielder of deadly psionic abilities.

+_I think that we can all agree that we are war_\+ grimly spoke Lacea. +_Return to your forces and make ready, we should be the first to strike before they do._+

And with that, each of the leaders were engulfed in spheres of light as they mentally requested recalls back to their respective armies. After each of the other leaders had vanished, leaving Lacea and her Avengers, she turned towards the Nexus and began making numerous mental commands. The Gateway, the Robotics Facility and Stargate immediately began to warp in more units as the Executor prepared for the coming war.

* * *

Filling his lungs with cool, natural air, General Korden of the Cadian 999th was also pleased to detect the scents of burnt promethium as he stepped down the loading ramp of a Valkyrie. Accompanied by his Command Squad of which was composed of several senior officers such as members of the Commissariat, Sanctioned Psykers, Ministorum Priests and Kasrkin bodyguards, he kept a watchful eye towards his surrounding and he took in every little detail of the primary Imperial base now known as Fort Creed.

He was a strongly built man with the fine aristrocratic features of one born into the Imperium's nobility but centuries of glorious warfare in the name of the Emperor had left its marks upon him. Proudly displaying his scars as he did his own wargear, he wore an officer's cap over his well groomed black hair, a beige long coat over his gilded carapace armor and was armed with a matching pair of lightning claws, the blades of which were retracted an unpowered for now.

The General's Valkyrie had landed by a towering Bastion of which had been placed near the Regimental Command and the Tactica Control while surrounded by numerous Infantry Command Bunkers. Numerous Mechanized Command structures had also been placed on one side of the base along with a Mars Pattern Command which would allow the Imperial Guard forces to bring in their Super Heavy class vehicles if need be.

Like its Catachan counterpart of Point Alpha, Fort Creed also had an entire section given to the Adeptus Astartes, specifically for the Aurora Chapter of whom had established Machine Cult landing pads for their tanks. Force Commander Cornelius was still aboard the _Vosotho _as far as he was aware, no doubt he would participate in the battle when the Spaces Marines needed to use one of their legendary drop pod assaults.

Leaving the business of the Space Marines to themselves, he focused his attentions instead to his own forces which he was proud to say were doing as he expected them to. Around Fort Creed, the Guardsmen of the Cadian 999th assisted teams of Enginseers and their Servitor Thralls in establishing Walls of Martyrs Defences which came in the form of waist high rockrete walls built upon foundations made from the bleached bones of honored dead heroes, most of which were taken from Cadia's own cemeteries.

This form of fortification also came with it, numerous bunkers and turret mounted redoubts which both the Imperial Guard and the Space Marines were capable of using fully. It was the express wish of the General himself that Fort Creed would live up to its name and become a shining and hopefully permanent beacon of Imperial dominance upon this unknown world.

With a quiet word, the General's Command Squad dispersed, each of them had various duties to fulfill, most of which was merely the various mundane but ultimately necessary activities needed for an army to maintain its discipline and cohesion. Now accompanied only by two Kasrkin guards, the General immediately headed towards the Regimental HQ which was the beating heart of their operations.

Entering the structure from an entrance by the right side of the structure, he was saluted by a pair of troopers guarding the entrance to which he merely nodded and left them to their duties. The interior of the Regimental HQ was a hive of activity as communications officers relayed orders between their scout units who were on the field or were monitoring the activities of the Catachan XXXth as well as their ships.

For a brief moment, the works of the communications officers was halted as they got up from their Vox-Terminals and saluted the General.

'At ease' was all General Korden said before each of the officers went back to their duties and a Commissar came forth to meet him with a data-slate in hand.

'As requested sir' respectfully spoke the Commissar as he held out the electronic tablet which the General gently took and he looked at the image it displayed.

On the Data-Slate, he saw a pyramid shaped structure with a golden surface and cyan glowing lights around it, he then swiped the pict-capture to the right and and saw another image depicting a similar structure but the color of black and red. Swiping again and again, he saw more images, some depicted machines that somewhat reminded him of Tau Drones and another depicted four legged walkers that possessed what seemed to be cannon-like weaponry for arms.

'Have we made contact with these aliens?' questioned the General who had seen the pict-captures from the moon and these beings looked nothing like the insectoid beasts which the Catachans and the Executioners were dealing with. The last thing they needed was to start another war with an unknown enemy, even if they were some filthy aliens.

'Negative sir' replied the Commissar. 'But by the looks of things, I would say that they know we are here and are preparing for a fight.

'General! We have an incoming transmission' suddenly then called one of the communications officers. 'Its not one of ours.'

'Patch it through' replied General Korden who was starting to get a bad feeling in his gut and at the center of the HQ's communications center, a holographic projector powered up which caused beams of light to dance about as an image was soon formed. Curling his lips with distaste, the General soon saw the form of a golden armored creature, its cyan glowing eyes glared at them with an almost arrogant-like expression, curiously, he did notice it had no mouth or any orifice which it could use to verbally communicate with them.

'Humans of the Imperium, hear me!' bellowed the alien creature. 'I am Executor Amatelon of the Protoss and you trespass upon a sovereign world of the Daelaam! Remove yourselves at once or face our wrath!'

General Korden gritted his teeth with outrage, how dare this alien freak speak to them in such a manner! Moving towards the holo-projector, he pressed one of its runes which would allow him to communicate with it.

'This is General Adelhart Korden of the Cadian 999th Regiment' he said, his tone filled with defiance and pride. 'You do not make demands of us alien! We are warriors of the God Emperor of Mankind! Show us respect and we may leave your disgusting kind in peace.'

The alien, this Amatelon then fixed him with a stern look, clearly unimpressed.

'Order your forces to leave this world or we will meet in glorious combat' demanded the alien once again.

'If you are so eager to meet death then so be it! We will not be cowed by the likes of xenos filth!' replied the General before cutting the transmission. The eyes of everyone was now on the General who then looked to them all with a stern gaze.

'Send word to the men, it is war!'

* * *

+_And I thought your Templar would have preferred to bandy words+_ commented Fleet Lady Val'ritha over a secure channel with a tone of mocking playfulness.

+_The Auriga have already paid the price for such foolishness_\+ somberly replied Executor Amatelon as he operated the command console of his Tempest, the _Ra'Thul_.

It was not long ago that the Terran Dominion had violated the peace treaty over a world known as Adena, an event which had led to the death of Admiral Urun along with many other Protoss. Amatelon was among those of his tribe who demanded that action be taken and so, Hierarch Artanis had ceased the negotiations with the Terrans but what he was planning was not known to the Executor, in any case, these Imperium humans had trespassed into the Daelaam's territory and they were not willing to take any chance.

Amatelon had considered the idea of taking the colony's fleet to directly engage the human vessels, but Executor Lacea had advised against such an action and considering the sheer size of the ships, he would have been more confident if they either had the _Spear of Adun_ to support them or a bigger fleet. Instead, Amatelon had divided the colony's fleet among their forces to ensure that each army would have full access to the Daelaam's arsenal.

At the heart of the Auriga fleet was a Mothership, the_ Circle of Night_, which along with numerous Arbiters provided a mass cloaking field for its many Tempests and Carriers, the latter of which were accompanied by repair drones. Numerous squadrons of Phoenixes and Scouts would serve as their aerospace superiority fighters while Warp Prisms loaded with Sentries or their various assorted variants could also be found among the many transport vessels.

Currently cloaked over New Talmetaros, the Auriga Fleet was positioned next to that of the Daelam-Tal'darim with the _Bringer of Ashes_ at its heart. Unlike certain Templar vessels such as the Arbiter and Mothership which could not be cloaked, the Tal'darim ships were entirely hidden by the stealth fields generated either by the Nerazim Dark Pylons or those or those of Amatelon's forces.

Ships belonging to the Purifiers and the Nerazim also remained above the city where through the use of their Stargates, they would be transported to the distant outposts on the continent where the Imperium had landed their forces.

+_All forces, prepare for warp_\+ announced Val'ritha towards her own forces and after a few moments, the _Bringer of Ashe_s began to fade from reality as it activated its Mass Teleporters. In a matter of mere heartbeats, the entire fleet of the Daelaam-Tal'Darim vanished from the sky above New Talematros before the other forces were also recalled towards the distant nexuses.

In the next moment, the Auriga Fleet had arrived above the same base where Lacea had held the prisoner, below them, the mesa was now filled with many gathered warriors mostly of the Templar tribes.

+_Na Adan Atum!_\+ called Amatelon through a Psi-Link, the war cry echoed through the minds of the Templar.

+_Khassar de Templari!_\+ was the unified response of the warriors before marching off to war.

* * *

Cruising over the open grassy plains, three squadrons of the Aurora Chapter's Predators Tanks made their way to one of the xenos outposts, their journey left the ground churned up while the air was filled with the smoke of burnt promethium. Behind the Predators were two squadrons of Hunters, a single squadron of Whirlwinds and flanking them were two Land Speeder squadrons.

The destination of the Astartes strike force was a xenos outpost that had been discovered by one of their Scout Squads a short while before their forces at Fort Creed had been contacted by the enemy warlord. Long Range scanners from the Imperial Guard's Regimental Headquarters had indicated the aliens, these Protoss were mustering their own forces.

At the head of this armored force was a Predator Annihilator, known as the _Konor _which like most of such vehicles were crewed by two Astartes, one driver and one gunner. Armed with a turret mounted twin-link lascannon and two more sponson-mounted Lascannons, it was accompanied by a pair of other tanks in with the same load-out. The crew of the _Konor_ were veteran tank pilots who for decades had fought within the same vehicle and had destroyed countless enemy tanks, both heretic or xenos.

Far ahead of the Astartes tanks were many four legged alien walker vehicles, their shining silver-white hulls and bright orange lights gleamed beneath the bright sun of this world as they moved to intercept the armored force. Some of the walkers were somewhat larger than a Dreadnought and equipped with what seemed to be twin-linked cannons on both arms while others were also smaller, more insectoid machines that moved along the flanks.

Some of the Space Marines also noticed a number of hovering drone-like machines accompanying the walkers, their purpose was unknown to them but they were confident that they could handle whatever came their way. In the sky above, twelve alien fighter-craft wreathed in dancing orange lights flew swiftly towards them, their presence was an eventuality prepared for by the Aurora Chapter as the Hunters readied their mighty Skyspear Missile Launchers.

Accelerating to combat speed, the Predators and Whirlwinds were ready to crush the enemies of the Imperium in a storm of high explosive ordnance and laser fire. No shots were fired yet by either side for on the part of the Space Marines, the enemy was not yet within range of their weapons. The Whirlwind Missile Launchers for example possessed relatively similar range as Lascannons, Autocannons or Mortars while the Skyspears could match the range of a Thunderfire Cannon.

The first shots came from the Adeptus Astartes as the two squadrons of Hunters which made up a total of six tanks launched their Skyspears at once towards the alien aircraft. Guided by Servitors made from the remains of honored Chapter Serfs, the the Skyspear Missiles would have locked on and homed in on the enemy flyers which made no attempt at evasive maneuvering.

Explosions of fire and smoke blossomed in the sky and the Space Marines felt a sense of pride knowing that first blood was theirs but that feeling was short lived as the alien aircraft emerged completely unscathed, their hulls were sheathed with a bright white energy that last for only a second before dissipating. As the flyers came in fast, a second round of Skyspear Missiles were readied but before they could be fired, the alien aircraft briefly pulsed with a bluish light and the next thing the Space Marines knew, the Hunters were wrapped in bubbles of energy and the tanks actually lifted up into the air as if gravity itself had become non-existent.

As the Hunter tanks floated above them, the alien flyers began firing a barrage of laser bolts towards the trapped vehicles while the Predators opened fire. Volleys of bolt rounds and Autocannon shells were launched and the few that even struck impacted against spheres of light surrounding the incredibly fast flyers which were no doubt protected by energy shields but their attacks soon came to a halt as the machine spirits of their tanks warned that the enemy walkers would soon be within range of their guns.

Coming to a halt, the gunner within the _Konor _aimed the tank's twin-linked Lascannons towards one of the larger walkers that immediately halted as well and with a press of its trigger, four bright white-blue beams of energy lanced out from the vehicle's guns as well as those from the other Predator Annihilator towards different targets. Having the expected for the xenos machines to be destroyed outright, the crew saw with surprise as their laser shots impacted against energy shields that formed a ring of hexagons around the walkers.

In return, the Protoss walkers opened fire with their own pairs of twin-linked cannons, bright bolts of energy struck forcefully against the hulls of the Predators and the Driver of the _Konor_ saw warning runes flash as the Predator had taken heavy but not critical damage. A barrage of three Vengeance missiles were immediately then launched by the Whirlwinds, their high explosive ordnance arced high into the air and came crashing down upon the xenos but before the missiles could land, domes of bright blue energy suddenly surrounded the enemy forces.

Three explosions of smoke, dirt and fire detonated among the walkers but there was no notable effect as the enemy forces still stood, those caught in the blast waves of the Vengeance Missiles were again surrounded by spheres of energy shields that did not have the hexagon shapes. Beams of light were then fired from the alien drones hiding a short distance behind the war machines, some were bright blue in color and directed towards the walkers while others were bright orange, these beams lasted for only a split second before leaving dancing orange lights around the walkers.

Four of the Predators armed with turret mounted Autocannons and Heavy Bolters along their sponsons charged in with their primary weapons blazing, their shells impacted once more against the hexagon shields of the enemy who in turned fired another barrage of plasma shots which again caused heavy damage to the Predators. With a curse, the crew of the _Konor_ knew that they could not keep this up, another barrage or two would destroy them while the enemy seemingly remained unharmed.

Above the Space Marine tanks, two of the Hunters exploded in a shower of metal and fire as the alien flyers focused their shots on the disabled vehicles while the rest still remained in the air. Of the Land Speeders, the two squadrons had earlier dispersed to flank the xenos, each of six fast moving skimmers were armed with two Multi-Meltas that would surely make short work of almost anything, especially vehicles.

Once the four Lascannons of the _Konor_ had recharged enough for a second volley, the Predator Annihilator fired its weapons again but once more those damnable hexagon shields protected the large walkers which returned fire with another barrage of their cannons, this time causing the four charging Auto-cannon armed Predators to explode. The _Konor_ shook once again as the impact had torn large holes through its hulls and alarm klaxons blared, the Predator's machine spirit was now warning the crew that it could take not another hit.

Muttering a curse, the Driver of the _Konor_ quickly moved the tank in reverse to disengage with its front still facing the enemy while at the same time, he pressed a button on the vehicle's command console which sent out a Vox-Signal to the _Vosotho_. Their brothers aboard the Battle Barge would immediately know that the skirmish was going poorly for the tanks and that reinforcements were needed.

'Brothers watch out!' came the alarmed call from the crew of one of the Hunters as the anti-air vehicles were slowly lowering from the air as the energy spheres surrounding began to die out. Moving around from where the Hunters had been lifted off, the Predators now fired in the general direction of the walkers which pursued them with a surprising degree of speed as orange lights still danced around them.

One of the Protoss Walkers launched another volley of its cannons and the _Konor_ went up in flames as its crew was cooked alive.

* * *

Precision Khalai Engineering, proudly thought Executor Rhenardthos as he watched his troops decimate the human forces through the Purifier Data Web, which allowed him to see, hear and speak through other robotic units. When his Observers had detected an incoming enemy strike force of forest green tanks, he had deployed a battle group composed of nine Purifier Immortals, twelve Mirages and twelves Instigators supported by Energizers, Conservators and Sentries, each of which numbered in threes.

When the battle had first begun, he had sent his twelves Mirages boosted by the Chrono Beams of the Energizers forward to draw the fire of the enemy and as he expected, the humans were the first to shoot with surface to air missiles. Had he been using Phoenixes, Scouts or Corsairs, the fighter craft would have been outright destroyed, but the Phasing Armor of the Mirages had allowed them to partially fade out of the material universe which granted them a temporary window of invincibility.

By the time their Phase Armor dissipated, the Mirages were almost within range of the human anti-air missile tanks to activate their Graviton Beams. Soon, the six enemy anti air units were lifted up into the air, the anti-gravity spheres left them immobilized as well as being unable to fire back, to which he ordered for the Mirages to circle around the tanks and focus their shots one by one for their Ion Cannons were designed to be used against lightly armored enemies.

The other human tanks had opened fire upon the Purifier fighter craft but clearly, these vehicles were intended to primarily be used against ground based targets. The Chrono enhanced speed and plasma shields of the Mirages had provided excellent protection for the brief time they were shot at before the human tanks switched their focus to the approaching Immortals.

In an attempt to help differentiate the Immortals of the Purifiers from those of the Templar, Rhenardthos had ordered for their Barrier Shields to be replaced with the more passive but in his opinion, far more reliable Hardened Shields. When the human tanks fired their laser weapons first, the Purifier Executor felt vindicated when the Hardened Shields of his Immortals activated and significantly blunted the attacks.

After the laser beams, the humans opened fire with their missile artillery tanks as well as launching explosive shells towards the Immortals while he ordered his Instigators to intercept the fast moving hover vehicles that attempted to flank them. Before the artillery missiles could detonate upon his Immortals, Rhenardthos had ordered for the Conservators to cover the walkers in a Protective Field, first there had been spheres of hard-light that materialized behind the Immortals and once they had fully formed, the devices generated domes of energy that mitigated the damage caused by the explosives which curiously were not powerful enough to trigger the Hardened Shields.

Regardless of which, the plasma shields of the Immortals held firm and he ordered for the Sentries to begin restoring them while the Energizers used their Chrono Beams to increase the speed and rate of fire for the walkers. When the enemy tanks attempted to charge them with weapons firing, The Immortals held their ground as the heavy solid shells proved just as effective as the lasers.

Interestingly though, the shorter ranged side mounted weapons of the assaulting human tanks would have been far more effective if those had been fielded in larger numbers for the small explosive munitions used by them had also not triggered the Hardened Shields of the Immortals. It was also around this time, a mere few seconds since the skirmish started that two of the anti air tanks exploded, it seemed that at the rear, they possessed lighter armor which allowed the Mirages to maximize the effectiveness of their armaments.

And so both forces traded fire with one another, with the humans tanks being the first to attempt disengaging from the Immortals but their enhanced speed from the Chrono Beams allowed them to quickly pursue and destroy three more of the machines. Now only two of the battle tanks remained while the missile artillery ones pulled back and the four anti air tanks which were slowly lowered down as the Graviton Beams expired, were immediately lifted up again by the other Mirages that had yet to use the anti-gravity devices.

Of the hover vehicles, Rhenardthos had counted six of the vehicles so he assigned two Instigators to intercept each one. Like the Stalkers of the Nerazim, the Instigators filled a similar role as a teleportation, hit and run anti-armor walkers that could also reliably pursue enemy air units if need be.

The pilots of the hover vehicles then charged straight into the direction of the Instigators, their speed was incredible but the teleportation units had their own tricks to use. The Instigators were the first to fire their Particle Disruptors, the twin beams of bright orange energy homed in on the human machines and before they could strike, the vehicles swiftly jinked to evade the shots.

The hover vehicles then opened fire with bright beams of energy from their weapons, but Instigators had already blinked back to avoid the the streams of super heated gas that scorched the ground where the walkers had stood. With speed and teleportation, both units began a deadly dance of evasion and maneuvering with the humans possessing greater agility while the Instigators had superior range.

As amusing as it would have been see this fight play out, Rhenardthos then sent orders for his Mirages which had by now destroyed three more anti air tanks and one of the missile artillery vehicles to disengage and support the Instigators. Obeying without hesitation, the robotic fighters moved away from their prey but not before launching one last concentrated barrage from their Ion Cannons which destroyed the last anti air unit.

The Mirages flew over the pursuing Immortals as the heavy walkers concentrated their weapons on the remaining tanks, interestingly, the missile artillery vehicles despite having a similar appearance as the other machines were more lightly armored and thus were not as vulnerable as to the Phase Disruptor Cannons. Briefly did the Mirages pass by the robotic support units to have their shields recharged and for the Energizer to use their Chrono Beams before moving on to aid the Instigators of which had already teleported into the Protective Fields of the Conservators which had transformed into the stationary Phasing Mode.

Under the effects again of Chrono Beams, the Mirages easily caught up with the human hover vehicles that attempted to evade the aircraft but just like the tanks, they were lifted up by the Graviton Beams and rendered immobilized. The light armor hulls of the hover vehicles were easily torn apart by the Ion Cannons of the Mirages that quickly reduced them to burning wreckage.

In less than a minute, the skirmish had ended in a victory for the Purifiers as all that remained of the human armored strike force was one artillery tank that would be pursued by the Mirages. As the Executor was about to give the order for the fighter craft to give chase, an Observer that had surveyed the area around the battle had linked its sight to him.

+_Executor, we are detecting enemy drop pods and warp-ins!_\+ called one of his advisers through the Data Web.

+_Prepare for battle my warriors!_\+ called Rhenardthos as he transferred his consciousness to the body of a specially modified Legionaire Zealot that had immediately been warped into the area of the plains where the Energizers and Conservators had set up. As soon as his physical form had fully materialized and his consciousness was entrenched within the body, he saw the many lights of dozens of other warriors who were also being warped in.

'LIVE WITH GLORY!' boomed the Purifier Executor as he raised his Solarite Reaper high, its axe-blade flared with searing energy.

+_DIE WITH HONOR_!+ replied hundreds of voices across the Data Web as the Purifiers materialized around him.

* * *

Muttering a curse, General Korden watched as the life signs of another reconnaissance squad had flat-lined on the holo-projector of the communications room. Within the confines of Fort Creed's Regimental HQ, he coordinated the efforts of the 999th as they prepared to assault one of the xeno outposts in the surrounding region but nearly all of their recon teams had been wiped out by enemy flyers that patrolled the skies.

Regardless of whether they sent out Sentinels, Salamanders or Tauroxes, they all reported the same thing of seeing alien aerial reconnaissance drones patrolling the area around the base. This would soon be followed by the scouts being attacked by swift xenos aircraft, some of which were possessed some sort of anti-gravity weapon that could actually lift two vehicles up into the air while leaving them immobilized and vulnerable to anti air fire, others were attacked by fighter craft that fired bursts of energy rounds that easily tore through the light armor of their recon units.

It behooved him to know what he was sending his men into for due to currently being cut off from the greater Imperium, every loss, whether it be man or material was irreplaceable. The gathering of intelligence was a vital component of any campaign but right now, their eyes were being gouged out as the aliens engaged in a deadly series of hit and run strikes against their scouts.

Even for the Space Marines it seemed that they were not faring any better for one of the Vox-Operators had intercepted a distress signal from an Astartes armored strike force that was now withdrawing from an engagement against xenos combat walkers and flyers. The Aurora Chapter was of course sending reinforcements to their beleaguered brethren which was their own business as the General was more concerned with the security around Fort Creed.

'Send word to the _Onager_ to deploy Lightnings and Thunderbolts' commanded the General as he looked to one of the communications officers and the man quickly opened a Vox channel to the Cetaceus Transport.

'How many should they send sir?' asked the officer.

'Have them send a third of their fighters, we need to make these skies ours' replied the General and nothing more was needed to be said as the order was sent.

On the holo-projector, he saw the image of the _Onager_ which floated next to the _Chariot_, a massive umbilical bridge connected both vessels, allowing Guardsmen to directly walk or drive their vehicles from the Universe Class Carrier to the Cetaceus which carried the landing vessels needed to transport large groups at once. The many reserve forces aboard the _Chariot_ were currently on standby as news had reached them that hostile xenos presences had been detected.

It was then that from the hangars of the Onager, several small triangular lights, each representing squadrons of fighter craft began to descend upon the world. Grimly watching their descent towards the planet's atmosphere, the General hoped that they would get the job done.

* * *

A bright orange flash of light briefly filled the vision of of Chaplain Decimus as he re-materialized on the physical plane through what he could say was the unusually smoothest teleportation he had ever been through. Fully clad in a suit of Terminator and armed with a Storm Bolter along with his Crozius, he was accompanied by a full squad of ten First Company Terminators most of whom were armed in the standard load-outs of storm bolters and power fists with members two armed with Cyclone Missile Launchers on their backs.

The heads up display of his visors lit up with data as it highlighted hostile xenos forces while also keeping him appraised of his squad's status. Up ahead he saw the burning wreckage of their tanks and a gleaming dome of energy where the enemy had gathered, by the look of it, the aliens were deep striking their own reinforcements.

Suddenly feeling a heavy thud upon the ground close to him, he glanced side to side and grinned at the sight of several landed Drop Pods with each of the transports opening up to disgorge dozens of Battle Brothers and even a trio of Dreadnoughts armed with Twin-linked Las and Autocannons. Three full squads of Tactical Marines along with two also full strength squads of Devastators, all armed with as much dedicated anti-tank weapons as the Codex would allow had been deployed as they covered the retreat of their last Whirlwind with more of the Aurora Chapter's forces on the way.

The aliens that called themselves Protoss kept their distance, away from the maximum ranges of the guns of the Adeptus Astartes. Another three drop pods landed, this time deploying a trio of Thunderfire Cannons, each one accompanied by a Techmarine Gunner, the multi-barreled guns mounted on tracks formed into a small group and took aim in anticipation to fire a deadly barrage of artillery shells.

Emerging from the gleaming dome were several dozens of silver-white armored alien warriors, each one was roughly humanoid in shape with two legs and two arms, the latter of which ended with orange glowing energy blades. In the next moment, the aliens broke into a sprint as they were followed by more infantry warriors along with combat walkers, hovering drones and flyers which zoomed towards them.

'Scour the Skies!' bellowed the Chaplain and eight Devastators armed with missile launchers loaded Flakk Missiles into their weapons before taking aim at the flyers. Having been updated on the recent skirmish, the Chaplain was aware that the xenos flyers possessed some potent form of defensive shielding of which was powerful enough to withstand even Skyspear Missiles but at the moment, the Flakk Missiles were all they had until aerial support arrived.

As soon as the anti-air missiles were launched, the Chaplain raised his Crozius high and roared a fierce war-cry that signaled for the Aurora Chapter to advance! Thirty Tactical Marines armed with Bolters and meltaguns, the trio of Dreadnoughts and the Terminators marched forward to meet the aliens in battle while the Thunderfire Cannons roared their fury to the skies.

The multi-barreled mobile artillery weapons each launched four high explosive shells in rapid succession towards the incoming enemy ground forces while in the air, the Flakk Missiles directly struck the alien flyers which again were briefly sheathed in white energy barriers with orange lights dancing around them. Zooming over the charging Astartes Infantry and Walkers, the enemy aircraft pulsed with blue lights as those Devastators armed with missiles launchers were lifted into the air by bubbles of energy before the aliens opened fire upon them with twin lances of lasers from each of the vessels.

Four partially disintegrated bodies fell to the ground as the energy bubbles vanished around the bodies while the other four remained helpless and the Devastators armed with Boltguns opened fire on the flyers. Unfortunately, the alien aircraft were extremely fast and very few if any of the bolt rounds struck and those that did, impacted against defensive shields before the flyers were off again and heading towards the Thunderfire Cannons which soon were also lifted up.

Twelve mighty explosions ripped across the grounds in front of the Space Marines, catching many aliens in their devastating fury as the earth was torn asunder but of the enemy, they merely vanished in puffs of blue smoke, as if they were never there. At first, the Chaplain was uncomfortably reminded of the way in which daemons were banished back into the Warp but this was different, some instinct born from centuries of warfare had told him what their artillery slew was not even real.

As the aliens advanced and came ever closer to the Space Marines, the squadron of Dreadnoughts were the first to open fire. Their Twin-linked weapons tore through the bodies of xeno walkers and infantry which also dissipated in puffs of smoke while the Terminators armed with Cyclone Launchers fired Frag Missiles that detonated among the aliens in showers of metal shards.

Soon the aliens were within range of their Bolters and hundreds of explosive shells were launched in a matter of heartbeats. More aliens vanished in gaseous clouds as they continued their advance, the Chaplain's Storm Bolter roared as shells were left in his wake but something at the back of his head told him that everything here was wrong, that they should-

'Taking fire!' Voxed a Battle Brother as the alien walkers and infantry opened fire with bright orange energy weapons that came in the form of lasers, plasma shots or discs of plasma. Bracing himself for impact as a disc came towards him, Decimus then felt nothing as the shot washed over him and on the HUD of his visor, his suit detected no damage to it.

'Brothers halt!' called the Chaplain and the Space Marines obeyed without hesitation, even as the enemy was steps away from them. 'Status report!' demanded the Chaplain.

'We are still at full strength here my lord' came the reply of Sergeant Thoras. 'No injuries to my squad'

'Likewise here' spoke Sergeant Muur and already the aliens warriors were upon them.

Standing about nine feet in height and as broad as a Space Marine in standard power armor, these Protoss were fairly fast for their size and their warriors were each armed with two glowing pairs of bright orange energy claws. With a swipe of his Crozius, an alien warrior vanished once more in a cloud of smoke while the Terminators engaged them with bolt rounds and soon Power Fists, an alien energy claw then came lunging into the gut of the Chaplain who against all instinct allowed it to come and when it struck his suspicions were confirmed.

'Brothers! stand down!' called the Chaplain as he felt no pain and his suit detected no breach. 'These things are illusions!'

The alien phantoms continued their furious assault as energy claws harmlessly passed through their bodies and ranged weapons fire struck their armor with no effect at all. Looking towards the glowing dome which was only a little bit our of the range of the Dreadoughts, he wondered just what the xenos were planning as more of flashes of light appeared among them.

Turning around and looking back, he saw the very real devastation that the aliens were reaping among the Devastators and Thunderfires as the artillery weapons were destroyed and the flyers quickly turned their attentions towards those Battle Brothers armed with missile launchers. Muttering a curse, he looked back towards the dome where more alien infantry armed with energy blades emerged, these ones had orange lights dancing around them and they sprinted towards the Space Marines with a speed faster than that of an Assault Bike.

Indecision warred within the thoughts of the Chaplain as his instincts told him to order his Battle Brothers to attack these incoming foes but the rational part of him questioned whether these were also illusions but then he noticed that there were red laser beams coming out from the dome and targeting the Dreadnoughts. It was then that the alien walkers within the dome opened fire with energy weapons all at once and two of the Dreadnoughts staggered back as large chunks of their adamantium hull were blasted out in searing explosions.

A mettalic sphere suddenly then appeared in front of them and it emitted a dome of blue-white energy that instantly engulfed the Space Marines as the sprinting aliens closed in and bolt rounds were once more loosed in a murderous volley as many detonated again upon energy shields. As one of the xenos rapidly closed in on him, the Chaplain swung his Crozius with all of his might at the first incoming alien warrior to get within his reach and and instead of feeling the satisfying crunch of bone and pulverization of flesh, he felt a heavy shattering of metal and mechanical parts he realized that these foes were automatons.

The alien machine he struck landed in a scattering of limbs and metallic components, its numerous kin rapidly closed in with the other Space Marines who all began drawing combat knives or were ready to use their guns as bludgeons. A sphere of orange light then suddenly appeared above the remains of the xeno machine that Decimus had smashed and he saw as tendrils of energy rapidly spread out and began to pick up and re-assemble the remains of the thing.

In a matter of seconds, it had fully reformed and the alien machine charged towards him again with bright orange energy claws blazing.

* * *

Loud booming laughter erupted from the vocal unit of Executor Rhenardthos as he activated the boosters installed into the back of his body and he glided just a few inches off the ground while weathering the hail of explosive rounds. With speed enhanced by the Energizers and further fortified by the Conservators, there were dozens of Sentinels followed by Legionnaires that rapidly engaged the humans in close quarters beneath the domes of a Protective Fields.

From behind the robotic Zealots, Immortals, Instigators and Adepts supported as by Sentries and their variants along with loaned Tal'darim Havocs focused their fire on the human walker vehicles, which took heavy damage from the concentrated attacks. Trusting that his warriors would handle the enemy war machines, he was focused on his target, a human warrior who was not wearing a helmet and carried on his back was a flag which depicted a black circular rune set within a white sunburst and a background of forest green.

Armed with a pistol that fired searing bolts of energy and a sword that was sheathed in bluish light the human stood his ground while continuing to shoot at the Executor. A warning system built into his body immediately flared up as it informed him of an explosive coming towards him, bracing himself for it, the Executor and a number of Sentinels were engulfed in a shower of razor sharp shards, two of which were destroyed but their Reconstruction protocols would immediately allow them to get back into the fight.

Of the Executor himself the blast had severely damaged his Plasma Shield and so he immediately activated his built-in Shield Capacitor and was engulfed in a sphere of energy which restored the barrier in an instant. As he drew close, he deactivated the boosters on his back and began to sprint before swinging his Solarite Reaper in a sideway arc to which the human flag carrier attempted to parry with his sword.

The momentum of the Executor's charge gave his strike an extra degree of power as the human had been able to indeed catch the Solarite Reaper but the sheer weight behind the swing of Rhenardthos easily knocked it aside. In the next moment, his axe severed the human's head from the lower jaw and up along with the upper part of his forest green armor and the pole which carrier the flag aloft.

With a return swing, the Executor cut a deep gouge in through the chest armor of another nearby human and with an overhead chop, he buried it into the helmeted head of another. The Sentinels had now fully engaged the humans, their Psionic Blades which could tear open Terran tanks easily sliced into the armor of the enemies and into the flesh beneath, any losses were irrelevant to the Purifiers for every one that had been destroyed would have their minds be merely sent back into the Data Web where they would seek new bodies stored in New Talematros that awaited activation.

A Sentinel running close behind the Executor was immediately reduced into a molten puddle of metal by a bright beam of searing energy from a human who was soon forced to fight hand to hand with another robotic Zealot. An orb of light then appeared above the remains of the melted Sentinel and it reconstituted itself to full functionality within a matter of seconds before returning to the fray.

Proceeding to sever the legs of an armored human warrior, Rhenardthos finished him off by slamming his Solarite Reaper into the enemy's gilded chest before he even hit the ground. War! He thought with exultation, glorious war! It had been too long since he had a chance to prove his valor on the field of battle and the humans had provided a solution to the ennui of his duty as one of the colony's Executors.

More explosive shells detonated upon the Executor's shield, he gave them only a brief look as cloaked robotic Dark Templar materialized behind the humans through their Shadow Stride. Striking from behind, their Warp Blades easily severed armored limbs while the Psi-Blades of the Sentinels struck the front of the enemies in a furious flurry, some of the humans made the mistake of turning around to face the invisible Purifier-Nerazim, this would only result in them being stabbed from behind by the robotic Zealots.

Turning his attention to the more heavily armored human warriors, he saw that they fared somewhat better compared to the others despite their over-sized, fists which shattered the bodies of Sentinels whenever they struck. Sending a quick command over the Data Web, he marked these ones as targets for the Legionnaires before settling his gaze upon one of the humans who was no doubt their leader.

A fearsome black armored warrior wearing a helmet that resembled a human skull smashed down another Sentinel with a highly ornate energy-wreathed scepter, he roared an alien war cry to whatever deity they worshiped as he fired volleys of more explosive rounds from his gun. Marking this target as his, he activated his back-mounted boosters again and dashed towards this grim figure with metallic hands tightly clutching the haft of his Solarite Reaper.

The skull-faced human then turned to face the Purifier Executor as the Legionnaires moved in to engage the others, even more explosive shells were launched from his weapon, all of which detonated on the shield of Rhenardthos who again activated his Capacitor. Maintaining his speed, the Executor was soon almost in reach of the skull-faced human who swung the scepter towards the head of Rhenardthos, his fully restored plasma shield completely absorbed the blow but the single strike had left it at a half of its strength.

In the next moment, he crashed against the human with bone shattering force, the impact had staggered both of them but Executor recovered quickly and swung his Solarite Reaper towards his opponent's neck who barely managed to block it with his scepter. Good, thought the Purifier Executor as he launched himself again at the human with reckless abandon, it had been too long since he faced a foe who could give him a proper duel and there was none more honorable than that between warrior to warrior.


	4. Chapter 4

_Ultima Segementum, M42_

'SHATTER THE SKY!' roared Commissar Farris Tannen as he raised his gleaming power sword high and two dozen Basilisks roared their fury to the heavens. Smoke and fire belched forth from the long barreled maws of the artillery vehicles as they hurled the devastating Earthshakers towards their target, a fortress where countless of vile greenskins squatted and a bright pillar of reached up to the very sky from some alien structure.

At that same moment, twenty Gorgon Transports escorted by six Armored Sentinel squadrons and three squadrons of Hydra Flak Tanks revved up their engines and began pushing forward, their cargo-holds filled with Penal Legionnaires taken from numerous prisons across the Segmentum. From his position only a few meters in front of the the artillery battery, the Lord Commissar watched as the transports advanced towards the distant walls of the enemy stronghold where in return, the greenskins opened fire with their own long ranged guns.

None of course came anywhere close to the advancing lines of the Imperial forces who were positioned near the very end of a Basilisk's effective range. Plumes of black smoke and dust erupted from the ancient stone walls where the greenskins had set up their defenses and by looking through a pair of Magnoculars, the Lord Commissar saw that the damage done by the Basilisks was hardly enough.

Having been through sieges in the past, both on the attacking and defending side, Commissar Tannen knew that such battles often take a matter of weeks, months, perhaps even years. It was something he was of course, prepared for and was confident that they would need not take so long as he gave the order for the artillery battery to continue the barrage of high explosive shells that further blasted the alien fortress apart to which the Orks futilely attempted another artillery barrage but again, the Imperial assault force was still too far away.

Trusting that the men would do their jobs without the need of his constant supervision, the Commissar began walking towards a nearby parked Salamander Command tank where he could keep himself updated on the overall progress of the Imperial Crusade forces. After climbing onto the back of the vehicle and giving a nod to a busy Vox-Operator, the man stood up, saluted the Commissar, he stepped aside to allow him to take over before going to the front of the tank where the Driver's compartment was.

Turning a dial and adjusting the frequency, the Commissar tapped a series of keys, his security clearance which would allow him access to the wider Vox-Network. Once he was connected, he could listen in on reports, conversations and various other ongoing communications across their current theater of operations and judging by what he heard, things were not doing well in the other sectors.

Skitarii Camp Beta-9 was under siege by Traitor forces, Chaos Space Marines had already breached the base's outermost defensive perimeters and there was no nearby reinforcements available to assist the beleaguered forces. The Vostroyan 79th Armored Regiment was engaged in a losing battle against the Necrons, their Leman Russ Companies were being blasted apart by massive alien defensive emplacements.

Switching channels, he picked up a distress signal from the Order of the Argent Shroud, one of their columns was being hit hard by Ork flyers and they were requesting air support. On another channel, a force of the Black Templars that been on the way to purge a suspected Tyranid nesting site were but had been intercepted by Traitor forces operating captured Astra Militarum vehicles and working in tandem with Genestealers.

It was all one huge mess privately thought the Commissar as he listened to other reports. When they had arrived on this barren, nameless world of blackened wastes and dilapidated ruins, all they found was death as it seemed like almost every major force in the galaxy was coming to this world for a reason that was left unknown even to one of his rank. They had over the course of a terran month, stretched both their resources and their forces thin attempting to capture these stone cities built by some ancient, long dead xenos race whose dwellings were mostly now infested by either Orks or Tyranids.

There were rumors spreading that the Inquisition was somehow involved in all of this and he was inclined to agree but it changed nothing about their current situation. He was still of course a Commissar, a loyal servant of Him on Earth and his purpose was to obey and ensure that those below his station would also obey and complete their given mission of which was to breach the walls of this city. He then received a message over the Vox that the Gorgons had reached the designated rally point and with a single press of a button on the communication's terminal, he green-lighted what would be the beginning of the siege.

Although he was not there at the very front, he could vividly imagine what was happening. That the ramps at the front of the open-topped super heavy transports would have dropped and that over a thousand men and women equipped only with Flak Armor, Lasguns and knives would be bullied out by their Custodians. It was possible, if somewhat unlikely that some would resist, those who did would immediately be either executed on the spot by either laser bolts or by having their collars detonated, the latter was often the most effective method in maintaining order.

It mattered not to the Commissar as soon they would march on towards the alien fortress while the Basilisks kept up their bombardment upon the walls. As he expected, the Gorgons soon left the front with no damage upon their hulls, they would return to where the artillery battery had been parked for there were thousands more guarded Penal Troopers waiting to be transported in another attack wave which he did not expect for any of them to survive.

* * *

A big grin spread over the lips of Warboss Mormlug of the Blood Axes as he stood looked into a long scope of rusted metal which had two glass lenses on each side. Hundreds of umiez had been dropped off by the big trukks and were now coming at them while their artillery continued to bombard the outer walls of the fortress. The destruction did not matter much to the Warboss who was positively giddy about the idea of having some umiez to krump.

He stood on an ancient stone balcony that had been appropriately decorated in an orky manner, with the skulls of many creatures, mostly Tyranids and rival bosses who had given him a good fight. Tossing aside the scope where a nearby Grot desperately attempted to catch it, he did not bother to see as the pathetic runt almost fell off the broken edge of a railing as it tried to get the looking glass and he certainly did not notice when one of its rival mates pushed the catcher off to his death, he was too preoccupied with the coming battle.

Entering the cavernous archway that had formerly been the top of his private tower, he was attended to by sycophantic Gretchin who immediately began scrambling to get his wargear. Soon the grots came by carrying heavy spiky black plates that would be strapped to his hulking, dark green, almost black body with straps of squig leather, a bulky metallic backpack with electrical coils sticking out was also given to him, its power field was useful to have and another group came by with his personal twin-linked shoota and chain -blade big choppa, both which he eagerly took before making his way to the landing pad.

For as long as he could remember the tower that had become his personal residence had been one whole structure but only a short while ago, the ground began to get all shaky, there was a lot of sparkly lights going on around the old stone buildings across the city and the next thing most of the orks knew, some of the buildings began actually to fly up with electric sparks keeping them aloft. Even that big shiny pillar of light coming from that creepy pyramid at the center of the city was completely new to the Warboss who wasn't sure what to make of it but for now it did not matter to him, he finally had some enemies to kill.

A readied warkopta had been landed on a separate balcony opposite to where he had earlier been, a restless flyboy pilot and a grot gunner both gave him an eager look and the Warboss gave them a nod and soon the engines of the machine was started. Rotor blades slowly began to whirl about as smoke and steam belched forth from its engines and he holstered his gun before grabbing onto one of the handles above the central platform that would allow the Warboss to hold on and keep steady.

Lifting off from the tower that had been his personal abode, the Warkopta made its way over the countless ramshackle huts where down below, thousands of boyz and grots were getting ready for the fight. Many vehicles raced each other to the gates while squigs strained at their leashes and as eager as their greenskin masters for bloodshed. This was going to be good thought the Warboss as the flying machine passed by a group of Deff Koptas and prepared to land at a plaza where a big idol dedicated to Gork (or was it Mork?) made from stone had been erected.

When it landed, he stepped off of the passengers platform and was greeted by his personal retinue of Nobz. A full mob of ten dark skinned orks also wearing spike black heavy armored plates and all carrying similar weapons as himself while giving him sycophantic greetings which the Warboss acknowledged a grunt and a nod.

'Listen up ladz!' bellowed the Warboss addressing the orks around him, his voice filled with jovial mirth. 'Da umiez ave come a knockin and dey fink dat we'll be quakin in our booties like a bunch o runty grotz!'

Some of the other boyz began chuckling at this while others were more engaged in their own private rituals of getting ready for a fight.

'Dey'ze made un uge mistake and ya know wot dat iz!?' he continued with voice rising in tenor.

'Wotz dat boss!?' eagerly called a Shoota boy at the front of the crowd.

'Dey'z came ta us! Da Orks!' replied the Warboss and he could see it in the eyes and the body language of his boyz that they were really getting riled up. 'Let'z show deze umiez a noice bit o Orky ozpitalitee, dakka n choppaz fer everyone!'

'WAAAGGGGGHHHHH!' roared the shoota boy from earlier as he raised his gun to the air and began firing.

'WAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!' roared a slugg boy as he waved his choppa sword about while also shooting his slugga in the air.

'WAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!' gave a loud, unified roar that rippled across the fort as the gates were opened and several vehicles rushed out in a mad dash to get to the invading army.

* * *

Another volley of Earthshakers was sent and another wave of Penal Legionnaires were sent out to attack the xeno fortress, its gates were now opened and from it came dozens of assorted greenskin vehicles. There was not much a simple lasgun would do against the enemy machines but the Armored Sentinels which had remained near the rally point were equipped with all manner of weaponry to take on both tanks and infantry while the Hydras he was certain would keep the skies cleared.

Just as planned, thought the Commissar with satisfaction, he knew the beasts could not resist taking the bait that was the massed horde of besieging infantry. The first phase of the siege's plan was to attempt to draw out the enemy vehicles so that once many had been destroyed either with Krak Missiles or Earthshakers so that when the time came to capture the city, the only thing the Astra Militarum would need to deal with were the green vermin themselves.

Sending orders for the Sentinels to keep their distance and engage the enemy vehicles while the Penal Troopers maintained their advance, he could just imagine the masses of casualties as greenskin ordnance rained down upon them and inaccurate bullets scythed into their ranks. They had many bodies to throw at the aliens and every death was one of a martyr, what more could a loyal servant of the Emperor ask for?

'Take us to the front, driver' commanded the Commissar and with its engines already warmed up, the Salamander Command tank moved forward while a Taurox Prime loaded up with Tempestus Scions provided an escort. It was once the battle had truly begun that men like him were needed for it was in the heat of battle that discipline was needed the most and that punishment would be met out to in accordance to Imperial Law.

Cruising at top speed over the blackened, dusty wasteland, he stood up with hand close to the tank's pintle mounted a rail and he saw in the distance that clouds of dust partially concealed the area outside of the fortress with bright streaks lasfire, the explosions and gunfire piercing through the shroud. The Salamander then caught up with the Gorgons as they halted just a few meters away from the designated drop off zone and they began to disgorge once more another massed wave of infantry.

Once again, hordes of penitent scum were herded towards the walls, the custodians bellowed insults and made threats as the Penal Legionnaires reluctantly moved forwards where not far away, the first broken bodies of their fellows could be seen. A barrage of missiles piloted by smaller greenskins immediately then landed on what remained of the first wave, hundreds died as vehicles rammed into the throng with guns blazing.

One of the Armored Sentinels then fired a missile that struck true against the hull of an Ork Buggy and the crude alien contraption exploded in a shower of fire and metal. Another series of Earthshaker explosions then ripped across the ancient stone walls of the fortress, its architectural design, despite the crude decor of the greenskins was a sharp contrast to it.

Quickly going back to the Vox-terminal, he grabbed a micro-bead which had a wire that connecting to the device, thus allowing him full access to their localized communications network.

'Sentinel Four do you read me?' questioned the Commissar as his eyes became focused on one particular group of five warbuggies hurling gouts of fire into the first wave, human bodies could be seen in the distance flailing about as flames consumed their flesh.

'Sentinel Four here, I read you milord' came the reply of the NCO assigned to one of the Sentinel squadrons.

'Target those flamers!' commanded the Commissar and after a few seconds, three Krak Missiles were launched with each scoring a confirmed kill, the remaining buggies barely had time to notice the demise of their comrades before the anti-tank missiles from another squadron reduced the rest into flaming wreckage that scattered about over a number of Penal Legionnaires.

Looking to the fortress, he then saw several airborne contraptions fly over the walls, Deffkoptas by the look of them and heading towards the first wave.

'Hydras! fire on my mark!' ordered the Commissar.

* * *

Placing his hands upon the sides of his head, Private Sollens of the Norhai 56th braced himself again for the bone shattering force as the Basilisk he was assigned to fired another high explosive shell. Glad that he was not being sent out like those poor Penal Legion bastard, he briefly leaned over the rail of the loading platform so he could look past the gun shield so he could see if they were doing any real damage to the alien citadel. From this distance, all he could see was dust and smoke but by his guess, he thought they did at least something because he saw what looked to be faint smoke rising up from behind the walls.

Briefly looking to the area around his Basilisk, he saw that the other artillery units maintained their barrage at a steady rate while on another section of where their forces had landed, nine heavy weapons teams armed with heavy bolters kept watch on the remaining Penal Legionnaires, they had strict orders from Commissar Tannen to shoot any cowards that tried to run away. It was chilling to think that all those men and women, even if they had committed some sort of crime against the Imperium were now nothing more than fodder to draw out the greenskins.

'Hey newfish! get back to work!' barked his fellow loader as the man sweaty bald headed man whose helmet hung by his side, lifted up a heavy shell and Sollens quickly opened up the breach and soon the Earthshaker Cannon was ready to fire again. Covering his ears once more, he felt and heard the loud boom as another barrage of shells were launched but this time he noticed something else, another sound which he did not recognize.

Looking about once more, he was stunned to see that six of the other Basilisks had gone up in flames! Looking to his partner, he saw that the man collapsed to the platform, a fish-sized seared hole of burnt bone and meat was between his eyes. His jaw and his eyes widened with disbelief at the sight of the dead man and he heard surprised cries as well from the infantry men before more of the artillery battery was suddenly destroyed.

Something fast then zoomed past the Basilisk' right, there was loud screeching of rent metal and he heard the clicking of something hitting the floor of the platform. Looking down, he saw a strange spherical shaped object that glowed with a fiery light and for a brief moment of horrifying realization, he knew that it was a grenade.

In the next second, Private Sollens was vaporized in a searing wave of plasma energy that also detonated the remaining Earthshaker shells aboard the back of the Basilisk. Explosions detonated among the ranks of the Penal Legion and those few troops of the Norhai 56th as swift, silvery things brought death to them.

* * *

'_Senlui Cynath_!' cried Autarch Baelinar of Craftworld Valseris and Scion of House Naharynath as he raised a Laser Lance high and led the Eldar charge into the rear of the m_on-keigh_ artillery battery, his first two kills were that of a single vehicle followed by tossing a Plasma Grenade into the loading platform of another. Mounted upon a silver-white jetbike with trims of gold and twin runic banners on the back of it, he was followed by three full Windrider Squadrons, each one armed with Scatter Lasers or Shuriken Cannons, two squadrons of Missile Launcher armed Vypers and most potently, an entire Seer Council led by a Farseer with each member also mounted up as Skyrunners.

Concealed either by Holo-fields or by the powers of their Warlocks, the warhost struck first with a volley of anti-armor Starshot missiles that exploded upon the rears of the crude artillery tanks, then came the Scatter Lasers as they scythed down the unsuspecting infantry in droves while the Psykers drew the power of the Warp into themselves before channeling it into an expression of pure psychic fury. Before the milling throngs of _mon-keigh _even knew the Eldar were there, the Warlocks unleashed great tongues of azure fire from their hands in all directions, those humans caught in its fury had not only their bodies, but their very souls sets ablaze while their Jetbikes spat out streams of Shurikens at any target in front of it while the Farseer then raised his hand high and sparks of lightning flew up before coming back down in a eldritch storm that sent charred bodies flying.

Hundreds of _mon-keigh_ died in those first few seconds, those who survived were more shocked to see the many charred corpses of those who had been alive just mere moments ago. By the time the enemy had their weapons readied, the full might of the warhost was upon and all the humans could do with their primitive weapons was to quickly die by the dozens.

Behind the charge of the Jetbike riders that had pulled out before they could be attacked, the true strength of House Naharynath, its fleet of dozens of assorted Grav-Tanks, each one upgraded with Vectored Engines and protected by Holo-fields that distorted their images, they began to encircle the humans in a deadly ring of death to ensure that none escaped alive. Fire Prisms unleashed bright pink laser beams that vaporized entire packs of humans with large explosive blasts while Firestorms unleashed salvos from their Scatter Lasers and among the most terrible were the Night Spinners, their Doomweavers launched large monofilament clouds into the air and when they landed, human bodies, living or dead were sliced into bloody gobbets of meat.

The ambush was hardly a battle, not by a long shot, it was nothing more than a necessary massacre, not the first and definitely not the last for the Eldar could not allow any of the humans, whether of the Imperium or the followers of Chaos to lay claim to the secrets of the Old Ones. Those _mon-keigh_ who resisted were all armed with small arms laser weapons that were almost entirely useless against the Grav-Tanks for those few that operated the heavy bolters were among the first to die along with the artillery when the Naharynath forces struck.

In the distance, the Autarch spotted the incoming, lumbering forms of human heavy transports, these vehicles had most likely been returning to pick up the remaining infantry. Casting his thoughts to the Farseer who in turn relayed his orders to the warhost, the Fire Prisms, the Vypers as well any Falcons and Wave Serpents armed with anti-tank weapons were sent forth to flank and strike at the machines which like many vehicles had weaker armor plating on the rear.

Leaving the destruction of such machines to his warriors, he slowed down his jetbike and brought it to hover upon a patch of ground in front of one of the destroyed tanks, his eyes of which were hidden behind the golden lenses of his crested helmet remained focused on an approaching Falcon. When the Grav-Tank came to a halt near his position, its rear loading ramp was lowered and disembarking from it were six robed Bonesingers, each member wore the same rune armor used by the Seers and they carried the flute-like psytronome shapers which allowed them to carry out their work.

+_Begin establishing a base here_\+ mentally commanded the Autarch and the Bonesingers gathered together to form into three duets. The air was soon filled with the haunting melodies of the psyker-artisans as three bright white lights flashed in the air and from the Emperyean itself, those light solidified into slabs of Wraithbone that danced and shaped into arches which in a matter of seconds were completed and made whole into active Webways Gates.

Electrical sparks then began to flash within the space of the gates and it began sending out comforting waves of psychic energy that could rapidly mend the wounds of their forces or help the psykers restore their minds. The ethereal silhouettes of Craftworld structures then slowly began to materialize around the Webway gates where soon, the Eldar would have themselves a full base which to operate from.

Although they had come to wipe out the humans, the Orks that squatted within the ruins were also a danger that could not be ignored, even if they were not the objective of his warhost. First things first thought the Autarch as Guardians emerged from the Webway Gates and they began heading towards the piles of corpses where some of the wounded _mon-keigh_ still lived, they needed to ensure that the area was completely secured before bringing in the rest of their forces.

* * *

The first wave had been wiped out to the last man noted Commissar Tannen as the last notable clump of Penal Legionnaires had vanished in an explosion of smoke and fire. He then signaled for the second wave to begin their advance and they did so over the bodies of their compatriots while the Sentinels and the Hydras of the Norhai 56th had wracked up an admirable kill count of enemy light vehicles and flyers.

Burning wreckage was strewn about along with the almost a thousand corpses of the first wave, the Orks had concentrated so much on slaughtering the advancing Penal Troopers that they did not target the Norhai Armoured Sentinels and Hydras. Curiously, he noted that the Earthshakers had suddenly stopped dropping and he quickly went to the Vox-terminal to see what was the hold up.

Sending out a signal and attempting to raise the artillery company's captain, he was met with static as no one hailed him back. Although he was no ordained servant of the Machine God, he was certain that the Vox-terminal aboard the Salamander Command tank was working properly fine. Sending out another message and receiving only silence again, his palms began to itch as he starting to have a terrible gut feeling.

Looking back in the direction where they had parked the artillery battery, his vision was partially obscured by the black dust clouds but he saw bright flashes of light that quickly made him realized that something was deeply amiss. Quickly switching communications channels, he began sending orders for the Norhai vehicles to disengage but an alarmed call suddenly then came as one of the Hydras had suddenly been destroyed.

Turning his attention again to the Ork Stronghold, he raised up a pair of magnoculars and from its opened gates, he saw that the Orks were finally bringing out their tanks. Cursing at such an inopportune time, he glanced back in the direction of their artillery and saw that a number of the Gorgons had been reduced to burning scrap and he hissed a vile series of profanities before tapping the keys on the Vox Terminal.

'Control, this is Commissar Farris Tannen, repeat, this is Lord Commissar Farris Tannen do you read?' he spoke as static filled the frequency.

'Control here, reading you loud and clear sir' replied the voice of a man stationed at one of the major Imperial Bases. 'I believe my forces are under attack, I need Long Range Scanners on these coordinates!'

Tapping the keys on the terminal and sending out the details to the base so that they could initiate scans which hopefully would be even available in the first place.

'My lord! Our scanners have detected dozens of Eldar armored units right behind you!' was the alarmed reply of the communications officer.

'Send word to the Norhai 56th to send the rest of their forces now!' called the Lord Commissar while trying to remain as calm as possible and he heard another explosion as two more of the Armoured Sentinel were destroyed by Ork tank-fire.

'On it, reinforcements should be en-route short' replied the communications officer before another explosion was heard from the direction of the fortress where at the gates, Ork Trucks carrying large cannons that looked liked a bastardized versions of a Basilisk were being set up while their heavy tanks rammed into the second wave with cannons aimed directly at the Sentinels and Hydras which were still disengaging, thus leaving the lasgun armed Penal Legionnaires to deal with the vehicles on their own. It was then that he saw a truly monstrous vehicle emerge from the gates and much to his horror, it was an Ork Stompa Titan and a big one at that.

Well that is just perfect he bitterly thought as he then noticed a warning rune flashing on the tanks Auspex Surveyor. Seeing red dots coming in from behind, he turned around and saw only the blurs of several incredibly fast moving objects. Quickly reaching for the Refractor Field on his belt, he tried to activate it, but a bright white-blue beam of energy was fired and it lanced directly through his chest and into the front of the Command Tank where it also killed the pilot. Taking a step back, he looked down in disbelief as a massive hole of scorched meat had burned through his chest and his vision began to swim as consciousness faded.

He barely heard the explosion as well when numerous missiles struck the rear of his Taurox Primer escort, and he certainly was no longer hearing when another barrage of missiles engulfed the Scion passengers with plasma-fire.

* * *

Chuckling in amusement, Warboss Mormlug watched through the periscope in front of his throne within the Big Mek Stompa _Ironhide_ as the super heavy walker fired its three Deff Kannon which reduced an air-shooty tank to twisted scrap metal. Around the the Ork leader, the crew of Meks and Grots busily did their part in operating the mek while his Nobz brawled and shoved at every opportunity to shoot their guns from the walker's firing hatches but what they really wanted was to bloody their axes.

As much as he shared their desire to do the same, Mormlug knew the value of patience, a rare trait that had served him well in the past. Having been a Kommando once, he knew the importance of when a situation required one to be cunningly brutal, or brutally cunning, whichever worked best.

One of the Grot guided missiles was launched from the shoulders of the Big mek Stompa as its guns blazed, the target of the Ironhide;s crew was the air-shooty tanks so the flyboyz did not have to worry about getting shot down. The masses of human infantry uselessly fired their laser guns at the armored plates of the walking machine which also had a Powerfield to help protect it, but the Warboss had ordered not to have it activated yet, unless they ran into heavier enemy weapons.

He could just imagine the satisfying feeling of crushing the umiez like bugs, turning them into red paste while his tanks pursued the remaining enemy vehicles whose numbers were now dwindling beneath the masses of tank fire.

'Oi boss, somfing feels kinda funny' spoke a Weirdboy named Gulzol as he scratched at his partially exposed cranium and for a brief moment of fear, the Warboss thought he would blow up. 'Nah it aint like dat boss' the Weirdboy then said as if reading the Warboss's mind which most likely was true 'somefing feelz weird, like somfing is disturbin da Warp kinda weird'

'If some Daemon is tryin ta get in to yer skull, then I'z gonna stomp ya flat' growled the Warboss who had once survived a daemonic outbreak during warp transit.

'Nah it aint dat too, me n da udda Weirdboyz ave been feelin all strange-like since dem sparky lights came up' replied Gulzol as they felt the _Ironhide_ shake, its bell-mounted DeffKannon had just launched another shot high explosive. 'Iz like dere iz dis... dis weight on me brain boss, an not da kind from da waaaagh powa.'

'Well jus zoggin walk it off once we'ze out' Mormlug then said as he turned his attention back to the ongoing battle. What was left of the umiez and by the looks of it, they were legging it.

'Oi boss, dey'ze makin a run for it!' came the excited high pitched screeching of a Grot operator.

'Iz already know dat ya lousy runt!' bellowed the Warboss as he grabbed his Big Chain Choppa. 'Lets go ladz, time ta get stuck in!'

'WAAAAGGGHHHHH!' shouted a Nob with excitement and soon every ork and gretchin within the Stompa took up the cry. Everyone who was not a member of the _Ironhide'_s crew quickly then began moving to the rear of the walker where a loading had already descended.

'WAAAAAGGGHHHHH!' roared the Warboss as he activated his backpack mounted Kustom Force Field and led his retinue of Nobz out into the corpse strewn plains outside their city with Sluggas firing and Chain Choppas roaring. The numerous tanks sent out by the Orks continued to spit explosive shells or bullets at the enemy walkers while others were turning their weapons towards the rest.

Behind the Big Choppa Nobz was another mob of eight more Nobz but all armed with Big Shootas accompanied by Gulzol and a Pain Boss named Bazag who had earlier doled out several syringes full of fightin juice. Bullets were sent flying into the surrounding horde of umiez who fired back with laser beams that struck the now active invisible force field surrounding the Nobz who gleefully killed everything not green around them.

Bellowing with laughter, Mormlug cut down humans left and right, these bald headed pink or dark skinned creatures came at them with knives of bayonets while explosive shells and bullets from the walls or from the _Ironhide_ rained down. With a wide sweep, he bifurcated a pair of umiez who tried to stab him with their guns before slamming it down in an overhead chop, into the head of another umie with the teeth of his chain weapon making for a pleasingly messy kill.

A familiar electric charge then filled the air as green lightning sparked from the eyes of Gulzol, who tightly gripped his staff which also had the very same power glowing about it. Raising his left hand towards the umiez, Gulzol hurled a bolt of bright green lightning that exploded into a nearby group of enemies and leaving their bodies as shriveled husks.

Riding upon the adrenaline and euphoria of battle, the Ork Nobz and their Warboss lost themselves to the thrill of it as explosive shells rained and tanks pulped the enemy under their treads, they barely noticed it when the ground began to shake once more, its vibrations intensified until every combatant be they man or greenskins was knocked down. Looking about in confusion, some noticed the great stone pillars rising from the blackened earth, ancient multicolored glyphs lighted upon along the surface of these obelisks as they formed a great ring around the city.

Within the mind of Warboss Mormlug, he heard a strange voice that was not his own, one that was utterly alien to the greenskin and devoid of emotion. It spoke in a tongue that was strangely familiar to the Ork but he couldn't quite say why and there was an image that was conjured within his thoughts, one that came unbidden as it took the form of some sort of bloated, reptilian creature that proceeded to address him in its unknown tongue.

Not knowing how to respond to it, the creature spoke once more before finally, the great pillars around the city unleashed a wave of blinding light that engulfed them all.

* * *

Returning to the site of their forward base after ensuring that the humans were all dead, Autarch Baelinar who was accompanied by a Squadron of Vypers found that everything was in order. All the necessary structures needed to bring in more troops had already materialized, with Aspect Warriors from all of the major shrines preparing to lead the battle against the _mon-keigh_ or the greenskins if need be.

The Webway gates used their shroud generators to conceal the base, as well as those within its perimeter while a dozen static Support Platforms provided a ring of defenses. Near the heart of the base, the Webway Assembly was the Soul Shrine, where the Farseer and his Council communed with the spirits within the pillar of Wraithbone, their Skyrunner Jetbikes had been parked in neat rows not far away while they themselves sat cross-legged upon the black dusty earth.

Slowly guiding his vehicle towards them, the Autarch powered down his Jetbike as well while leaving his Laser Lance carefully propped upon the driver's seat and traveling on foot with right hand upon the pommel of his chainsword. Not bothering to remove his crested, Mandiblaster armed helmet as he would rather not inhale any of black dust of this world, he silently moved towards the meditating psykers where he could hear the whispers of their telepathic communion and once he was a mere few paces away from the nearest Warlock, he felt a familiar mental presence.

+_My lord Autarch_\+ mentally greeted Farseer Arathel, of the Council Prophets and also a very close kin-blooded highborn of House Naharynath. Physically, the Farseer's back was to the Soul Shrine, his body like those of the other psykers was completely covered in their robed rune armor with Singing Spears resting upon their laps, the helmeted head of the lead psyker had focused his gaze upon Baelinar, the golden lenses locked upon that of the Autarch.

+_There is little need for such formalities little brother_\+ replied the Autarch for aboard Craftworld Valseris, those highborn who followed the Path of the Seer or the Warrior were required to take strict oaths to renounce all claim and titles to their Houses and to remain completely apolitical until they were ready to leave it while those who remained locked in that path were forever cut off from whatever inheritances, titles or other privileges reserved for those born among the upper echelons of the Craftworld's society.

+_As you wish, brother_\+ spoke the Farseer whose tone was more... distant, distracted, he was most likely focused on some sort of vision.

+_What have you seen upon the skeins of fate?_\+ asked Baelinar.

+_The mon-keigh of the Imperium will be sending reinforcements by air, they know that we are here so we must be ready for them+_ answered Arathel.

+_How long do we have?_\+ Baelinar then asked for while their base had been established, their infantry would still be fighting out in the open with barely any cover to make use of.

+_Enough time to relocate if need be_\+ replied Arathel. +_The Orks have been properly agitated, they will put up a stubborn defense if we allow the mon-keigh to attack, enough to allow us to secretly aid the beasts._+

+_Helping orks, against humans_\+ commented Baelinar with distaste for despite the zealotry and barbarism of the _mon-keigh_, the Orks were as far as most Eldar were concerned a few steps down from Men in terms of civilization. +_Are you certain we should not exterminate both_?+

+_We need only to eliminate the humans and the Necrons_\+ responded the Farseer. +_Despite the crude savagery of the Orks, even they_ _whether knowingly or not will protect the works of the Old Ones, as must we for of all the invaders upon this world, only the mon-keigh and the Souldark have the wit to defile the Sunderer_.+

_+Understood+_ nodded Baelinar and the Farseer broke off the mental contact and returned to the psychic communion with the Warlocks. Already he was thinking of how to best deal with the human reinforcements which were no doubt en route. Currently among their forces, they still had the Firestorm Grav-Tanks and their missile launcher armed units were also equipped with Starhawks so he was confident that they could handle anything coming in from the skies but it never hurt to have more.

Sending a telepathic message to the animus of a pair of nearby Sky Portals, the wide arches created a swirling rift into the webway from which Crimson Hunters and Nightwings could be brought in. When he made it back to his jetbike, he picked up his laser lance and started its engines, the anti-gravitic motor hummed came to life and was ready to lift off as soon as the Autarch desired it but he was pre-occupied as he sent his thoughts towards the minds of his forces and letting them know what was happening.

After several seconds, the first of the Crimson Hunter emerged from one of the Sky Portals, followed by another while the second portal did likewise for the Nightwings. Zooming out over the black plains, the ruined artillery vehicles and the hundreds of fresh human corpses, the Eldar flyers gracefully turned about and returned to the base where they would circle above them with holo-fields active. In time, they had summoned three Crimson Hunters, one of which was piloted by an Exarch and four Nightwings which divided themselves into two squadrons.

Confidence surged within the Autarch as he privately dared for the humans to now try and land their forces over where his kin had just slaughtered so many of them! Just as he was about to lift off from the ground, the very earth began to tremble with seismic activity, Aspect Warriors and Guardians harmlessly stumbled and lost their footing, even the Seers were disturbed from the their meditation.

Immediately casting his thoughts to the Prophets, he could sense both confusion and surprise among them as they re-established their mental contact.

+_What is happening, is it the Sunderer?_\+ asked Baelinar with mounting horror.

+_No, this is something else_\+ answered Arathel as the tremors continued and not far from where they had camped, a massive pillar of stone emerged from the ground with clouds of dust blanketing the area around its base. Many other pillars arose around the Ork-held city and forming a massive series of rings where incredible amounts of warp energy was being drawn to these obelisks.

It was then that Baelinar and every Eldar within the base could feel an unknown presence within their thoughts. Within the mind's eye of the Autarch the image of a reptilian Slanni, one the of the servant races of the Old Ones appeared and it spoke in an ancient and alien tongue that was incomprehensible, even to the Eldar themselves but from what Baelinar could gather, it was a question.

+_I do not understand what you are saying_\+ mentally replied the Autarch to the Slanni but it did not seem to hear him. The creature then began speaking again in its native tongue before speaking in the familiar language of the Eldar themselves.

+_Intruders detected_\+ spoke the Slanni in an emotionless, mechanical tone. +_Commencing defensive relocation protocols_+

+_Relocation?_\+ thought the Autarch. +_Where would we-_+

Before he could finish his train of thought, the warp energy that had been building up within the ring of obelisks reached their tipping point and a great wave of blinding engulfed the city and all those around it.

* * *

Feeling again an explosion of warp energy, Inquisitor Valsten tightened his grip upon the rest of a nearby chair, his teeth were tightly gritted and eyes screw shut for it felt like there was such a pressure in his head that it would explode at any time. As soon as it appeared, it vanished and after a brief moment to collect himself the Inquisitor was relieved to find that he was still alive and so were the other psykers aboard the bridge of the Oberon, _Bringer of Glory_.

'My lord?' asked a well dressed, elderly naval officer, his liaison who was behind him with a mix of respect and fear as it should be when addressing a member of the Inquisition.

'Something happened, again on the planet' answered the Lord Inquisitor. 'Get me an update on our forces'

'Right away' saluted the Navy officer who then looked to a nearby ensign to his left and with a quiet nod, the ensign began tapping onto his console.

'Uh my lord' spoke the ensign with some confusion. 'We can't raise a number of our bases'

'Which ones?' asked the Inquisitor with suspicion and the ensign looked again to his terminal.

'All of the ones designated Primaris my lord' said the officer and the Inquisitor's jaw dropped.

Every one of the Imperium's military outposts given the Primaris grading had been established in the Old One cities they had managed to capture. It was vital that they held onto these places at all costs because they were the key to finding the super weapon, something which interrogations of Eldar prisoners had revealed to be called, The Sunderer.

'Our forces elsewhere are still active my lord' continued the Ensign 'there is a lot of confusion going on it looks like even some of our ships have-'

No longer bothering to listen to the officer, the Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Lord closed his eyes and reached out with his psychic senses and into the Emperyean. As the ensign had reported, many of the ancient Old One cities and even a number of their ships in orbit above had just vanished, as if they were never there in the first place. A number of those that vanished he noticed were also those that belonged to the traitors or xenos, of where they went, he could not say for sure which was also concerning.

* * *

Korprulu Sector_, 2511 CE_

Looking up to the bright sky above, Executor Lacea watched as the Fleet of Auriga arrived above the mesa in many bright flashes of light. Various ships from from the Scout and Phoenix fighter craft to the Arbiters, Tempests and Carriers had materialized with the last to arrive being the Mothership _Circle of Night_ which covered much of the fleet as well as much of the base in its cloaking field.

+_This is Executor Amatelon!_\+ announced the Auriga leader from aboard the _Ra'thul_. +_My fleet have arrived, requesting status report to all other active Daelaam forces!+_

+_The Nerazim are ready Executor_\+ came the whispery call of Amaka.

+_The Daelaam-Tal'darim are prepared to commence bloodshed!_\+ eagerly called Fleet Lady Val'ritha.

+_My forces will be ready shortly_\+ called Executor Rhenardthos. +_I am currently engaged with a human strike force, we will have them annihilated soon_+

+_Do you require reinforcements?_\+ asked Amatelon.

+_Nothing I cannot handle myself_\+ proudly boasted the Purifier Executor.

+_Understood, all of our forces will be remain on standby, we will strike as one_\+ Amatelon then said to which Lacea quietly agreed with.

+_Everything seems to all be in place_\+ came the quiet whisper of the being within the stone, Eldrad whose tone was filled with approval. +_In one fell swoop, the Imperial base shall be destroyed and soon you may begin preparing for the attack aboard their ships.+_

_+More or less, that is our plan+_ replied Lacea as she put on her helmet and the Heads Up Display became active.

+_May I suggest that we- wait..._\+ spoke Eldrad whose words were now concerning to Lacea. +_I sense something... a presence, that I have..._+

It was then that a sudden surge of psionic energy was felt by Lacea and every Protoss on Ulnuran. The ground began to tremble once more as the clouds above began to swirl about in a most unnatural formation.

+_What is happening?_\+ came the alarmed voice of a nearby Zealot as the tremors began to increase in strength and the Protoss warriors struggled to maintain their footing. It was then that in the distance there were many distant great flashes of light and suddenly the tremors stopped.

+_Executors!_\+ came a feminine voice Lacea recognized as of being from one of the personnel assigned to the communications network of New Talematros. '_We have detected numerous warp-ins, they... they are massive!_+

+_Lacea, you must listen to me_\+ then came the voice within the bright red stone, its tone was now more urgent than the Velari Executor had since the End War. +_A great darkness has come to this universe, something far more terrible than that of the Imperials._+

+_What? what are you talking about?_\+ privately asked the Executor who was now deeply concerned as the communications network became a buzz of frantic reports and activity.

+_They are here, the servants of the Dark Gods are here_\+ explained Eldrad. +_And I can sense the Souldark as well, oh Asuryan_+

+_But we slew the Dark God!_\+ said the Executor who was still loathed to admit that it was technically the Queen of Blades who did the deed and the rest of them who ventured into the Void were just there to assist.

+_No this is not Amon, but something far more terrible_\+ Eldrad then said +_The armies of Chaos and the Necrons are here._+

+_What do you mean by Chaos?_\+ asked the Executor her worry only mounting. In response, Lacea's mind was flooded with countless images, memories that were not her own. +_And what are these Necrons?_+

Within the mind of Executor she saw four dark and terrible figures commanding endless hordes of nightmarish creatures with forms that defied all logic and explanation. She saw an image of creatures that looked like humans but twisted, changed, made into something that could only be described as pure and utter evil as they marched under a banner depicting a star with eight points.

The images then shifted, she saw creatures, machines that took the forms somewhat like that of human skeletons with emerald green glowing eyes. They were silent, eternal, unyielding, as if death itself had been made manifest. She was then shown another set of great and terrible creatures, born from the very stars themselves, these beings hungered for the very life-force of all that lived.

More images then flashed within the mind of the Executor, of death, destruction, and war on such a scale that it was almost maddening... as if all hope would be lost as if everything she knew and loved was entirely meaningless. No! she thought with defiance! She was Templar! She was of the Firstborn! They would not cower and hide like sniveling whelps! They would not let themselves be consumed by this darkness, not without a fight! Finding her resolve, the Executor took in everything that had been shown to her and was determined to find a way to fight them all, no matter the cost!

+_Not all is lost Executor_\+ Eldrad then said in a more comforting tone. +_I have sensed the presence of others as well, if we are to survive this then we will need their aid.+_

+_Who are these allies you speak of?_ questioned Lacea with genuine interest for in all her time she possessed this stone, it revealed very little of its origins or who it was and its history.

+_You must find my people, the Eldar, Executor'_ was the answer of the being within the stone. '_For only united can we stop the coming darkness from spread across this plane._+

* * *

Blinded by the light, Warboss Mormlug had screwed his eyes shut but even with the lids closed he could see it until finally it began to fade and his vision returned to a sense of normalcy. Blinking in confusion, the Warboss found himself surrounded by the bald headed umiez just as blinded as he had been and his Nobz who were also experiencing the same thing he was.

Immediately he then noticed that the land around was not warm and dry, it was hot and humid, the black dusty wasteland was gone and all around him was tall green grass that reached up to his chest. Taking a quick look about, he that the _Ironhide_ was still behind them and in the distance, his city was still there with the pyramid making that bright pillar of light.

He also noticed that the sky was bright, clear not all dark and cloudy with a bright yellow sun. As he looked about, he noticed that only a few miles to the west of his position, there was lots of umie transports dropping off tanks.

'Oi, oi! we'ze still being attacked ladz!' called a nearby Nob who quickly raised his slugga pistol up and shot a umie in the chest. In the next moment, the fighting began again and with no way of knowing what the zog was going on, he decided to chop up some umiez first before sorting all this out.

* * *

The great surge of Psionic energy was felt by all of the Brood Mothers within the primary Hive Cluster, their attentions had been completely focused towards the siege of the human base that when it came, they were taken by surprise. Immediately regaining their wits, they quickly connected their thoughts to those of many Overseers scattered across Un'lazar while briefly making sure that their minions attacking the base maintained their previous orders.

For Broodmother Araz'kesh, she was startled to see that not too far east of where the humans were landing reinforcements, an entire city of stone had suddenly just appeared. Completely certain it had never even been there, just a minute ago, the Araz'Kesh then turned her attention to the other Broodmothers and from them she overheard of other similar sightings across the moon.

It was then that the Broodmothers began to feel a psychic presence, something quite similar to that of the Zerg's collective consciousness but it was... different there was hunger to it, a deep primal all consuming need to feed and one that could never be sated. Disturbed by this unknown presence, the Broodmothers resolved to investigate the source of it as soon as possible, but first they still had a battle to win as their minds were once more focused on the extermination of the human invaders.

* * *

Aboard the bridge of the _Vosotho_, Force Commander Palleon Cornelius of the Aurora Chapter gritted his teeth with mounting displeasure, his normal calm had been compromised due primarily to the Vox reports that the entire strike force composed of Predators, Whirlwinds and Hunters had been decimated. Even the infantry reinforcements they sent were barely holding the line while more tanks were still on the way from Fort Creed, these xenos had proven themselves to be more dangerous than they expected.

Having already sent an order to ready his personal Land Raider Prometheus, the Force Commander had been just about ready to depart the bridge when a klaxon blared and the monotonous voice of a Servitor had informed him of warp signatures detected in space and he turned his eyes to the windows. Flashes of light appeared and he saw the familiar forms of numerous voidships, some bearing marks declaring their allegiance to the God Emperor while more troublingly, he also saw those carrying the marks of the Ruinous powers.

'Sound the alarm!' demanded the Force Commander towards a nearby Chapter Serf who quickly tapped a holo-key on the terminal in front of him. The klaxons blared once more where the mechanical voice of a servitor announced that all hands were needed at battle stations. The guns of the Vosotho powered up because in the next few moments, all hell was about to break loose.

* * *

+_Is everyone alright?_\+ came the mental call of Autarch Baelinar towards the Eldar around him as he immediately noticed that they were within some sort of artificial structure, the animus of his helmet detected that the climate was cool and temperate.

+_We are unharmed here Autarch_\+ came the feminine voice of one of the Warlocks Councilors assigned to his host, they were still around the Soul Shrines but he could sense their disorientation, their confusion.

+_The shrine of the Sudden Demise remains hale_\+ called Exarch Ingmir of the Warp Spiders.

+_Our vehicles have not been damaged as well_\+ called one of the Fire Prism pilots.

Well that is a relief, privately thought the Autarch as he quickly then began to survey their surroundings. Surrounding the Eldar was an absolutely massive artificial structure made from a dark grey material which he couldn't tell if was made from stone or metal. Great towering spires rose up around them with a bright yellow sun blazing above them, if he had to take a guess, it looked like they were in some sort of city. It was certainly not Necron in origin, he could sense it for between the stones were teal colored lights that were filled with psychic energy but one that was... strange... unfamiliar to the Autarch.

+_Where are we?_\+ asked the Autarch towards the Farseer.

+_I... I do not know_\+ replied Arathel with a mental tone of genuine uncertainty. +_I did not foresee this_+

+_You did not see this coming_!?+ questioned the Autarch with surprise and familial concern for his brother for aboard Valseris, incompetent Farseers who had false visions or had led the Craftworld's armies to ruin were required to commit ritual suicide (a smiliar punishment may befall an Autarch but there were ways to mitigate it if one knew the right people in the right places), if they even came back alive in the first place. +_We can figure this out later_+

Activating his helmet's communications device, he tried to make contact along the mundane channels used by their forces and much to his relief, he was able to get a signal.

'This is Autarch Elemire of House Anroc' spoke a voice over the communications channel. 'This is Autarch Elemire contacting all Eldar forces.'

'This is Baelinar, House Naharynath' transmitted the Autarch who personally knew the fellow highborn. 'My forces are still operational'

'That is pleasing to hear Baelinar' came the relieved voice of the other Autarch. 'The city of Xaiak has been relocated, along with all of our occupational forces.'

'What of the rest of our host and our allies?' questioned Baelinar.

'I cannot say for certain, you are the first I have been able to contact' answered Elemire. 'I will keep you updated but for now, remain vigilant, Elemire out'

It was good to know that they were not alone, wherever this place was thought the Autarch who then began to feel the alien psychic energies surrounding them begin to grow stronger.

+_To arms my kin! to arms!_\+ mentally called Baelinar as the Aspect Warriors, Guardians and assorted vehicles readied their weapons. The very air around their base began to shimmer as it became filled with an electric charge and before they knew it, there was a great flash of teal lights around them. In the next moment, Baelinar saw thirteen bulky, alien constructs surrounding them.

Somewhere between the size of a Wraith Knight and a Revenant, these massive constructs looked to be made up of several armored plates held together by some form of anti-gravity technology. Their bodies formed the vague shapes of a lumbering humanoid torso with two arms that ended in bright glowing crystalline blades and eyes that blazed with the same psychic energy he felt from the ruins around them.

+_Lifeforms detected... Initiating biological scans_\+ came a bellowing mechanical voice within the thoughts of the Autarch and he instinctively knew that it was from these constructs as waves of light emerged from the eyes of the machines and began to scan the Eldar. +_Creator gene-mark detected, welcome servants of the Old Ones.+_

It was then that the unknown psychic energy surrounding the machines began to lessen and in an instant, Baelinar realized that the constructs must be some sort of security system and were just about ready to attack the Eldar host. Thankful that the machines were standing down the Autarch was now puzzled to know exactly where they were dealing with.

+_Machine, what are you?_\+ mentally questioned Baelinar towards the nearest of the constructs and it looked down upon him with blazing eyes.

+_We are the guardians of this facility, created by the Xel'naga to prevent any dimensional breaches_\+ answered the machine and Baelinar got the impression that the machines, despite there being thirteen of them, they all spoke with one voice. +_All who bear the marks of the Creators will find sanctuary within these walls_+

+_What do you mean by a dimensional breach?_\+ queried the Autarch.

+_You have arrived in a universe, separate from your own, currently the dimensional gates remain inactive but still operational_\+ answered the machine which further surprised the Autarch. +_Our systems have detected that there have been numerous dimensional __relocations from your universe, query, does the war against the Necrontyr still continue?+_

Stunned by how this machine could even posses knowledge regarding the War in Heaven and the ancient name of the Necrons when they had still been flesh and blood, the Autarch simply answered yes for in a sense, the war against the Necrontyr continued.

+_Your cooperation has been noted, servants of the Old Ones, contacting local Purity of Form forces, designated, Firstborn, now_\+ announced the machine and the Autarch could the whispers of a telepathic call being sent out.


	5. Chapter 5

Tittering with excitement within the safety of her primary Hive, Broodmother Khanre of the Gorn watched through the eyes of her Torrasque strain Ultralisks as they burrow charged into the rear of the human reinforcements and with frenzied roars of absolute rage, they emerged from the ground in a shower of stone and dirt before throwing themselves at the foes while Zerglings and Aberrations maintained their assault. The mighty Monarch Blades of the gargantuan beasts tore into the heavy silver armor backs of the marine warriors, whose roaring teeth weapons, their glowing blades or explosive launchers were only somewhat effective against the chitinous plating of the Torrasques and were forced to decide on whether to confront the massive beasts or the smaller ones.

One of the humans, an even more heavily armored warrior armed with a pair of lightning wreathed claws turned around and attempted to block the strike of an Ultralisk by crossing his weapons over his face. To the human's credit, he was able to indeed prevent the massive blade from burying into his face while another armored human, one of the marine-looking ones was cut down with a massive gouge into his back and one of the large brutish creatures that swung their guns about in crushing arcs was decapitated.

The human with the claws was pushed back, his heavily booted feet carved deep furrows into the ground but his choice to defend against the Ultralisk only left him vulnerable to the rest of the Swarm. Swarmlings began clawing at the legs of the human, their blades and teeth only scratched at the incredibly tough armor but the claws of the Abominations were another matter entirely for they had been designed to eliminate such foes.

With a single mighty swipe, an Aberration tore three deep gouges into the back of the silver armored human, red blood coated its talons while Baneling Hunters from the Nargil Brood leaped into the fray and detonated in the furious melee. Regenerative Acids specially tailored by the Evolution Master splashed among the combatants, for the Zerg it quickened their natural regeneration, allowing any of the wounded to rapidly recover while still in battle but for the humans, it burned them quite painfully with the lightning clawed one howling in pain as the corrosive liquids reached his flesh from the rents in his armor.

Among the humans, there were still a number of the unarmored soldiers wearing read cloths around their heads, they fought with knives or used their guns as bludgeons but their numbers had already been significantly reduced. One of the humans, a leader who the rest attempted to protect drove his blade into the skull of a Swarmling while a large, brutish thing that vaguely looked human smashed its gun into the chest of an Aberration with enough force to shatter many of the infested creature's ribs.

While the humans did indeed put up a better fight in close quarters than the Terrans would have, their efforts were ultimately futile as the Zerg were quickly overrunning their position while the ranged combat organisms provided a steady salvo of deadly support fire. A silver armored marine warrior was pin-cushioned by a volley of armor piercing needle spines from the Hydralisks that kept their distance, one of the big brutish creatures roared in pain as the Hydriodic Bile from a Roach Vile melted his flesh, muscle, meat and bone into a green slurry while the Zerglings and Aberrations continued to tie the rest up in close quarters.

Away from these human, the defense lines of the base were mostly now filled with the dead as the Daggoth Guardians and Broodlords had decimated the defenders and were now converging towards the rest of the outpost while the Lurkers and Impalers from the others Broods emerged and made their way towards the foe. They soon began bombarding the bunker-like structures that made up most of the base both from above and below and as soon as breaches were made to the walls, Zerglings and Banelings would rush in to butcher those that sought shelter within.

Above the base, the battle for the sky was almost over, the human aircraft may have been able to slay a few dozen Mutalisks but such losses came at a heavy price for the Devourers, Corrupters and Scourges had reaped a deadly toll. Only two aircraft remained, the silver armored gunships unloaded round after round from their guns while parasites from Araz'Kesh's Vipers ate away at their lightly armored hulls before finally, one of the machines exploded and the other was destroyed as a Scourge detonated itself behind the machine.

Among the humans, there was one who was of great interest to the Broodmothers and they watched this one quite closely. Unknown psionic energy surrounded this marine warrior, who carried a metal rod that was also filled with the very same power which he wielded, lightning bolts shot out from his armored fingertips, reducing many zerglings to charred husks.

Human psychics were often sought out by the Swarm but to date only one being, The Queen of Blades had successfully retained any form of psionic abilities with Vice Admiral Stukov not counting at the insistence of Abathur. Despite there being only a single successful infestation of a psychic human, the Broodmothers were keen on at least trying again and again if need be.

Sending a quick set of mental orders to her minions, Khanre's Torrasques attempted to avoid accidentally slashing at this human psionic while focusing their efforts upon the others. Another silver armored human marine warrior was then impaled from the gut up as he took the full brunt of a Monarch Blade that was thrust into his body rather than being swung to hit multiple targets, he was lifted up and immediately bifurcated in half by the two abdominal blades of the Ultralisk who then thrust its other blade into another human.

The human psionic then began drawing more of that unfamiliar power into himself and into flowed into a nearby Ultralisk, causing its very blood to boil and pour out from its chitinous hide, but the resilient beast still fought on, its frenzied rage inured it to pain as it kept on fighting while obeying Khanre's commands. Thrusting one of its Monarch Blades towards the psionic, it completely severed his right arm while Swarmling struck at his legs with another going for his other hand.

Collapsing beneath a living tide of claws and teeth, the psionic only needed to be taken alive but that did not mean that they did not need to leave it unharmed. As the other human marine warriors died beneath onslaught of the Swarm, it was then that all of the Broodmothers began to feel a mighty surge of raw psionic energy coming from the Xel'naga ruins beneath the moon!

Taken by surprise, Khanre and the other Broodmothers quickly connected their minds with those of various Overseers patrolling the skies across the moon, their advanced sensory organs allowed them to pinpoint the flow of psychic energy as well as to visually spot anything out of the ordinary while their minions at the human base were left with orders to continue the fight. Many of the Overseers spotted great flashes of light, like those of Protoss teleportation and in the next moment, they detected many new lifeforms followed by an altogether new, psionic presence.

Every Broodmother could now sense a gestalt collection of minds like that of the Zerg themselves but there was deep primal hunger to it and at the same time, through the eyes of Overseers, they saw the appearance of what looked to be dwellings, cities, suddenly appearing at various locations. In orbit above the planet, those Overseers stationed above had also spotted numerous flashes of light followed by the appearance of unknown vessels.

With the battle still raging within the human base, the Broodmothers quickly returned their attention towards it, once things had been settled there, they would investigate these new occurrences.

* * *

Adrenaline coursed through the veins of Colonel Thatch as he killed another of the Gaunt-like Zerg with a quick thrust of his Fang into its skull while snapping off a series of laser rounds into another at point blank range, his muscular arms were covered in deep crimson gouges and it was only through sheer will-power that he kept on fighting. Desperation fueled the Catachan officer as he fought like a cornered rat, many of his men were now dead, ripped apart, pin-cushioned or melted by alien bio-plasma that continued to rain down on them with disturbingly high accuracy, those who still lived were now forced to fight up close and personal with the Ogryns putting up the fiercest resistance but this only singled them out as targets from the ranged alien beasts.

Even the Executioners were hardly faring any better as those alien monstrosities that were even bigger than a Carnifex had outflanked them and were bearing down on the Space Marines while the other xenos were still clawing at them from behind. Having already heard over the Vox that reinforcements were on the way, he knew deep down that they wouldn't get there fast enough, not with all of these damn bugs crawling all over them.

Another gaunt-thing leaped towards him with a loud screech, its many claws widely outstretched and the Colonel's knife was still lodged into the skull of his previous kill. Relying purely on instinct, the Colonel quickly thrust his right fist into the alien but before he could strike it, the thing's claws stabbed into his exposed flesh before quickly tearing into bone.

Hot pain flared through the Colonel as he felt the alien's blades easily tear into him before his fist connected with its chitinous head and it felt like he just tried to punch an Ork. More pain suddenly then filled the Colonel as another of the things stabbed the back of his knees and calves, its tooth-filled mouth took out a large chunk of meat from his left thigh.

His strength immediately began to fade as more of the aliens were upon him, he weakly tried to reach for his last grenade, hoping to at least kill a bunch of them until he noticed to his horror that is right arm had been completely torn off from below the elbow with splintered bones sticking out. Consumed by pain as consciousness left him, Colonel Thatch of the Catachan XXXth, decorated veteran of more than a dozen wars fighting in the Emperor's name had met an ignominious end beneath the tide of chitinous claws, teeth and fury.

* * *

Pain flared through the nerves of Warlord Sarthos as alien acid seeped into the rents of his Terminator Suit, melting his very flesh as his enhanced physiology did its best to quickly repair the damage. Warning runes flashed upon his visor's HUD, shields of his gorget-mounted Iron Halo had been depleted by the countless strikes of the xenos and there were still far too many of the beasts around them, the life signs of more than few Battle Brothers had been rendered null and the suit's power supply was starting to fail as the bio-acids scorched the internal circuitry.

Swiping his claws, he slew one beast and another but more and more came with claws and teeth while gouts of acid and sharp spikes continued to pelt him. Another suicide beast detonated this time in front of him and again it showered his already damaged suit with more corrosive acids.

Despite their similar appearances, these Zerg had proven to be an altogether different foe from the Tyranid Swarms. The Imperial forces had expected an enemy that would throw themselves in great waves, one that would attempt to cross the plains in a great tide where the mighty guns of the Imperium would vastly thin out the horde, a foe with leader organisms that when killed, would disrupt the coherency of the swarm.

Instead they fought an enemy completely capable of bypassing their defense lines, a foe possessing the means to engage in genuine long distance artillery bombardments and no matter which ones they killed, the alien swarm kept up its attack. Had the Imperial Guard forces first deployed upon this moon been any group that actually possessed heavy armor, perhaps this siege would turned out far more differently for being skilled in ambushes and guerrilla warfare counted for nothing in a pitched battle such as this.

If there was one thing about these Zerg that were much like the Tyranids, it was that they were heedless of their losses as they hurled more of their smaller beasts while the others continued to assail the Space Marines. Numerous sharp alien spikes clattered against his suit, most left only small dents but some struck the breaches and pierced at his flesh, the other Terminators were not holding well but the same could not be said for those Space Marines wearing standard suits of armor, the rain of blows from all sides felled them even faster.

With another swipe of his right Lightning Claw, he shredded the head of gaunt-like Zerg and with his left, he was able to catch the deceptively strong claw of a centaur-thing, its hand was split apart as it was cleaved by the adamantium blades wreathed in a disruptive power-field. The beast roared in pain before quickly slashing at the Warlord with its other clawed hand and the Space Marine gritted his teeth as it tore through his Terminator suit's right pauldron with a strength to match that of a Genestealer.

Immediately after he was struck, another explosion of bio-acid then sprayed about to his left as one of those jumping suicide beasts detonated between him and a Terminator armored Battle Brother, showering the two of them while not even harming the Zerg. In fact, he saw that that centaur whose clawed hand he had maimed, rapidly regenerated and it swung the fully healed appendage at him.

Attempting to parry again with his left claw, another of the Gaunt-things leaped up and latched its maw to the back of his hand, its weight threw off his aim and the talons of the centaur directly struck him in the face. One of the talons shattered the right red crystalline eye lenses of helmet and he shouted in pain as a shard stabbed into his exposed eye.

He then felt a heavy impact as the massive blade of one of the gargantuan monsters stabbed into his back with more than enough force to carve a deep furrow into the back of his suit. With the HUD of his visor now ruined, he had no way to monitor his surroundings as well as to see the status of his suit, all he had was the bio-scanner that detected the life-signs of his troops with more flat-lining.

Quickly stabbing the alien that had latched onto his arm, he tossed its carcass aside while delivering a swift kick that crushed the skull of another but the more of things immediately then attacked him as the claw of a centaur slashed at him again but this time it severely damaged his power pack. With the power of his suit depleting even more rapidly, the weight of his armor began to significantly slow him down as it was becoming a dead weight.

It was then that Warlord Sarthos was struck again from behind by one of the monstrosities, one of its massive chitinous came down upon him like a hammer and it cleaved him twain from skull to groin.

* * *

Hissing a foul series of profanities in his native tongue, Warlord Thorgar saw that the life-signs of most of the Battle Brothers they sent down to reinforce Point Alpha had flat-lined, they tried to hail whoever was left, but all they got were furious shouts or silence as the xenos overran their position and of the Imperial Guard forces still in the base, all they heard was the sound of gunfire and alien screeching. Had the entire base belonged to that of the Executioners, he would have immediately ordered an Orbital Bombardment but what stopped him was the fact that there were still at least some Guardsmen down there and the last thing his Chapter needed was to start another internal conflict of Imperium against Imperium, something they could ill-afford, especially not after the Badab war.

Swearing to the Emperor that he would eradicate these damnable Zerg creatures when he had the opportunity, he then tapped on one of the runes of the holo-terminal and the display lights shifted to show him a far more terrible sight. Gritting his teeth and cursing their luck, he was now far more concerned about the appearance of a great vessel that undeniably bore the marks of the Ruinous Powers and the insignia of a most loathsome of foes.

Emerging from the warp, just as the Imperials earlier had was a Desecrator Class Battleship bearing the markings of the Iron Warriors, the spawn of the traitor Primarch Perturabo, ancient enemies to all Sons of Dorne. There were other flashes as well, more ships their sensors had picked up, some were their, others were xenos or heretical vessels but the one belonging to the Iron Warriors was almost within range of their guns.

Having already alerted all members of the _Bastion_'s crew to get head to their stations, he was bitterly reminded again just how many troops they currently possessed. Halfdan and his company had rendezvoused in orbit with the Devourer ships carrying the Imperial Guard reserve forces, they were already just about to land when the _Bastion of Dorne_'s sensors picked up the spike in warp energy and the arrival of the traitor forces.

The entirety of the 6th company had already been deployed earlier to meet the xenos in battle with the 5th were still aboard the Battle Barge and already within Drop Pods or at the hangar aboard Thunderhawks. Reluctantly, Guthrum had sent an order over the Vox for the men of the 5th Company to stand down and prepare for boarding action, when he informed them of the presence of traitors, they double timed their actions for of all the enemies of the Imperium, none were more hated than those of the Traitor Legions.

Now as the _Bastion of Dorne_ readied its weapons, the Executioners were ready to bring the Emperor's judgement upon the heretics.

* * *

'Back to da Stompa! Back to da Stompa!' roared Warboss Mormlug as he fired his shoota at the umiez and the Nobz around him obeyed with their own guns blazing. There were not many of the umie infantry left, armed only with their puny laser weapons, they had little chance of doing any actual damage to the numerous ork tanks that had been deployed, and it seemed that the remaining enemy walkers and air shooty tanks had either been destroyed or driven off but the boyz now had bigger squigs to fry for the Warboss recognized that the ship landing to the west was a transport capable of carrying large groups.

Entering the _Ironhide_ from its loading ramp, Mormlug was the first to get in and he immediately rushed through the cramped confines of the vehicles back towards his command throne. When he arrived, he loudly demanded for a radio and shortly afterwards, a pair of grots came by carrying an orkied up umie Vox-caster while a third runt held the speaky part up to him.

Grabbing the phone and placing it to the right side of his head, the Warboss briefly heard static before it became cleared up and on the other side of the communications channel, he could hear a load of high pitched chatter.

'Oi, any of youz runtz hearin me!?' bellowed the Warboss.

'Earin ya loud and clear boss!' dutifully answered a Gretchin.

'We'ze gotta lodz a umiez landin to da west! Tell all of da boyz ta group up at da gates! said the Warboss.

'On it boss!' replied the Gretchin and Mormlug then shifted his head back to the periscope by his throne and he was able to get a good view at the surrounding area.

It had been a long time since he had seen actual grass and plants, the sight of it brought back fond memories of his time as a Kommando, sneaking about and knifin gits before they even knew he was there. Getting back to the present, the Warboss moved the periscope about and was pleased to see that their tanks and flyers were now disengaging from slaughtering what few umiez remained and they were heading towards the gates of the city where numerous boyz were now gathering.

Looking about, he saw in the distance what looked to be a umie camp but it was getting absolutely trashed by... something. It was hard to tell from this distance, even with the scope but there were lots of things up in the air and some bigger things that could be seen moving, whatever it was, they would have to deal with it later.

The _Ironhide_ then turned around and began to lumber back towards the city, the Big Mek Stompa's energy shield was still active as it made its way to the gathering horde but the Warboss did not sit idle. He bellowed orders to the Grots in charge of handling the communications of their army, telling them to send orders to this nob or that boss, having one mob move to certain positions here and there.

Like many members of the Blood Axes tribe, Warboss Mormlug understood the importance of keeping up a proper fighting formation and organizing his forces, he had drilled the leaders of his army extensively for ocassions such as this. Such disicpline and tactics had served them well against rival Ork tribes, the Nidz and even the umiez who often thought that all greenskin hordes had no inkling for planning.

Well he was going to show them, he thought with a malicious grin as mobs of Bikers and other fast moving, light meks as well as flyers were sent ahead to harass and flank the umiez. Vehicles that were capable of transporting boyz could be seen parked near the rowdy throngs of foot sloggers who were all clamoring to get aboard, they all knew that whoever was in would be among the first to get into the fight.

As the Stompa drew close to the gates, they were hailed by raucous cheers and gunfire into the air while shouting that familiar war cry of Waaaaaggghhh! The slaughter of the umie foot troops had been a good warm up thought the Warboss as he began to fantasize about all the loot they were going to get.

* * *

The last bit of resistance at the human base was nearly snuffed out observed Broodmother Araz'kesh as the combined forces of the Swarm overran another bunker and another. The bodies of many humans, living or dead were now being dragged back to the Omega Worm where numerous Infestors were now gathering around, the living part was merely optional and those who fought back were either outright killed or had limbs dismembered to ensure their pacification.

Hundreds of Drones from the various Broods had arrived through the maw of the Omega Worm and the worker organisms joined the warriors in picking up and carrying the bodies of the slain. Even the bodies of those slain Zerg would have their uses for within the primary hive cluster was an assimilation pool where biomass and destroyed machinery could be rendered down into forms usable by the Swarm if the infestation did not prove successful.

It was known to the Broodmothers that one of the old Cerebrates, a being named Kaloth had been successful in creating a strain of the Hyper-evolutionary virus that was capable of bringing back dead humans as Infested. This particular strain had been extensively used by Vice Admiral Stukov in the war against Emperor Mengsk and later against Amon, the knowledge of replicating it had fortunately been shared with the greater Swarm who could make do with it as they pleased.

Through the eyes of her minions, Araz'kesh watched as one of her Infestors extended one of its many tentacles towards the body of a dead human carried by a pair of Zerglings and it dragged the corpse into its maw before using to to wrap around the bodies of others. Within the hides of the bulbous creatures were large fleshy cavities where the bodies of the humans would be encased in cocoons that would transform them into Infested that would serve the will of the Swarm.

Despite their assured victory at the base, there were still numerous pockets of human resistance outside of it. A number of the scouting teams that had been sent out were still active, their survival had could easily been attributed to the fact that the Zerg considered them as low priority targets but soon that would change.

One particular group that an Overseer of hers followed had met up with a pack of the Marine warriors, the numbers of both human groups had been greatly thinned out by the brutal skirmishes with her minions with more on the way. Leaving them to their fate, she was more interested with the latest prize which the Swarm claimed during the siege.

The body of a still living blue armored marine warrior, one who had displayed psionic capabilities was being dragged by four of Broodmother Khanre's Swarmlings, a pair of Torrasque strain Ultralisks followed after them, their eyes focused on their prisoner who had his right arm completely severed with the left hand mangled into an acid scorched stump. They could always regenerate replacement limbs thought Araz'Kesh who turned her thoughts to other matters.

With the battle in the sky having ended in a victory for the Swarm, the hundreds of airborne organisms descended upon the base to regroup with the rest of their forces while Overseers monitored whatever was happening in the north. One particular Overseer was able to get close enough to have a good look at the inhabitants of the city that had just appeared and the sight of these strangers was perplexing.

Possessing forms like those of Terrans or Protoss, she saw a great horde of greenskinned creatures operating machines that in many ways looked similar to those of the humans. Within this creatures, the psionically sensitive Zerg were able to sense traces of psychic capacity, one that was far less potent than that of the Protoss, but it was there.

Judging by the way these greenskins were moving about, Araz'Kesh was certain that they were preparing an attack on the Imperium humans, this in itself provided an interesting opportunity for the Swarm. Resolving watch and observe these creatures first, the Broodmother was willing to wait and see if these creatures were just as hostile as the humans and to see if they would be open to negotiation.

Turning her thoughts elsewhere, the Zasz Broodmother, connected her thoughts to that of a different Overseer patrolling the skies east of the valley where the Swarm had settled. It, along with numerous others of its kind were searching for the source of the great psychic presence, the one with a deep primal hunger to it.

A certain degree of caution was necessary for any creature of the Swarm travelling within this region for it had been claimed by their "kin" from Zerus. When the Zerg had arrived on this world, they did not come alone for within the bellies of their Leviathans, they had also brought with them a great number of Primals from the Pack of Dehaka who still maintained an alliance of sorts with the Swarm.

Led by a mighty beast known as Nezar, the Primal Zerg that had settled on Un'lazar were both belligerent and territorial, their hunger and drive to find Essence had led them to hunt and slaughter a great deal of this moon's local wildlife. Although there had yet to be conflict between the Swarm Zerg and the Primals, relations were tense at best for both groups held a mutual loathing for one another and Broodmothers had only brought them because Overqueen Zagara had willed it.

Communication with the Primals was difficult at times due in no small part to the fact that the Zerg of Zerus mostly did not possess the means to engage in telepathic communications, thus any meetings between both groups had to be done vocally, and face to face. As the Overseer flew over the jungle's canopy it was drawn closer and closer to this new, hungering psychic presence until finally, she could hear faint traces of its whispering.

Eventually, she tried to reach out to this presence, attempted to contact it return it regarded the Broodmother with only a terrible hunger that only whispered one word.

_+Preeeyyyy...+_

* * *

Muttering a prayer to the machine spirit of his Armored Sentinel, Corporal Tagren of the Fiarino 246th, activated the firing mechanism within his walker's cockpit which caused the charged up Plasma Cannon to spit forth a searing bolt of energy towards the heretic forces. Shining bright like a miniature star, the white-blue sphere of energy soared through the air, between and much to his delight, it detonated in a great blast of energy that vaporized a small group of heavily armored foes.

Three superhuman warriors clad in black power armor adorned with white tabards depicting a black cross were reduced to ashes before the eyes of the Corporal, a fitting punishment for their sacrilege. Near the Corporal was his squadron who also piloted Armored Sentinels, their Autocannons roared in fury while his on foot brethren fired their lasguns upon the blasphemer calling themselves, Black Templars.

Just a mere five minutes ago, the Fiarino 246th had been accompanying these heretic Space Marines who sought to violate a most holy place, a nest of the Star Children, the divine beings which the Imperium misguidedly called Tyranids. Unwilling to allow such desecration to occur, the 246th's 4th Company who were all the Brothers of the Brood had begun their attack when the Astartes least expected it.

First they had destroyed the four Rhinos carrying the Space Marines, to deny them mobility which started by having another Armored Sentinel squad equipped with Missile Launchers fire Krak Missiles into the rear of the transports. One Rhino had been immediately destroyed when it was struck by two of the anti-tank missiles, the other transport had been destroyed by Tagren's squad as they opened fire on the front of the vehicle.

It was right after that their four Chimeras, each armed with two Heavy Bolters and filled with Broodbrothers disgorged their occupants while focusing their fire on the rears of the other two vehicles. Catching the Space Marines by surprise, their lightly armored APCs had been quickly destroyed and the survivors were forced to bail out.

Having seen a Space Marine up close and personal back at the base when they had still kept up their charade as loyal followers to that corpse of an Emperor, he would certainly have been intimidated had he been on foot but within the cockpit of his walker and armed with heavy weapons, he found that they could die, just like anyone else. About half of the Black Templar troops were composed of power armored warriors while the others were the more lightly armored Scouts, most of both units were armed with bolt pistols, combat knives, chainswords and grenades with only a few carrying boltguns or any other ranged weapons.

Shortly after the ambush began that Broodbrothers of the 246th had been graced by the appearance of the Star Children who had come to lend their aid. Emerging from the blackened wastes like an avenging specter were the familiar, four armed creatures with hides of blue and red which every Broodbrother instinctively knew to be their kin. Fleet of foot and possessing claws that could easily rend through the armor of the Space Marines, the pure-blooded cousins of the Broodbrothers engaged in furious close combat against the Astartes while the 246th provided fire support.

Then came the buildup of psychic energy which all of the Broodbrothers and their pure-blooded kin felt and then there was a strange alien whispering within their thoughts before a great wave of light flashed across the horizon and it engulfed them. Next thing they all knew was that the black wasteland of dust that made up the world they had landed on had suddenly been replaced by tropical greenery with the only black things around were the Space Marines who quickly took to the attack.

Many of their blessed pure-blooded kin fell to the swords and guns of the heretics and the Broodbrothers resumed their volley of fire. One Scout Marine who had sought cover behind one of the many trees took a lasbolt to the side of his head, had he been wearing a helmet, he likely would have survived but instead a fire team of Broodbrothers focused their shots on that one target just to be sure.

Holding his fire, Tagren had been lucky to get a shot that vaporized three Space Marines but with all these trees in the way, he was unlikely to get another while his squad-mates made liberal use of their Autocannons. The Corporal was confident that they would win this, for their Company not only had greater numbers but superior fire-power against a foe predominantly armed with anti-personnel melee weapons who went up against the pure-blooded kin of the Broodbrothers whose rending claws easily tore through power armor.

As they continued to pour more fire upon the Black Templars, Tagren did not notice the swarm of beetle-like creatures floating behind him, the creatures kept their gaze upon his Armored Sentinel before quickly diving into the back of its head. The beetles then detonated in powerful explosions of corrosive acid, the first of which rapidly melted a hole into the roof of the walker while the second and third widened it enough for a fourth beetle to get inside.

He only had a heartbeat to notice as one of the beetles entered his vehicle's cockpit and it showered him with even more acid. Tagren screamed in agony as his flesh melted, the circuitry of the terminal that allowed him to control to walker sparked as the corrosive liquid ate at it and one errant spark that flew struck the exposed fuel tank of the Sentinel.

* * *

A loud explosion echoed through the jungle but Sword Brother Konrad was completely focused on the genestealer in front of him. With a quick slash of his Power Sword, he sliced off one of its arms while blocking the others with his Combat Shield. The claws of the alien which would have been a serious threat to a Terminator armored Battle Brother rent a deep gouge into the protective slab of metal and the Space Marine ended its foul life by driving the edge of his powered weapon into the left side of its neck with enough force to completely cut it in twain.

All around Konrad, his Crusader Squad fought a brutal melee against the rest of the Genestealers while those Traitor Guardsmen continued to fire shots at them. Having survived battles against the Tyranids in the past, Konrad was keenly aware that the average Genestealer bio-form was about as tough and strong as a Space Marine with a speed greater than that of an Eldar warrior, their only real weakness was that their chitinous hides provided as much protection as Flak Armor and that they had no ranged bio-weapons.

Quickly moving away from the dead alien, he went to assist one of his Battle Brothers who was facing another Genestealer who leapt to the Crusader Initiate's right while barely evading his bloodied chainsword and several laser bolts struck his back. Sprinting to the aid of the other Space Marine, there was another pair of explosions which he ignored as Konrad saw the alien leap towards the Initiate and its claws sliced bloody gouges across his chestplate with one claw aimed at the Battle Brother's head.

Thankfully, the Sword Brother arrived in time to tackle the xeno with his shield, the weight of his charge was enough to shatter an un-augmented man's bones but just for good measure he thrust his sword into the alien's chest and he drove the blade down to its groin. Shoving the now lifeless alien forward, he turned around to face the traitor guardsmen who began to fire more laser bolts towards him.

Having raised his shield, Konrad weathered the hail of energy weapon, some struck his power armor but it held while he quickly deactivated his sword and sheathed it by his hip. Moving to the wounded Initiate and grabbing him by the collar of his armor, he dragged the fellow Space Marine over the foliage beneath them and propped him behind the trunk of a sturdy tree.

Scar tissue was already forming upon the wounds of the fallen Battle Brother, thankfully his power armor had at least ensured sure that the injuries he sustained was not deep enough to the point that he would require an Apothecary. The wounded initiate then gave him a silent nod and Konrad got up to attend to the rest of their squad.

Surprised screams followed by gunfire could now be heard from the traitor's position, peaking out from behind the cover the tree he saw a swarm of flying beetle-like creatures diving into the ranks of the heretics before exploding in clouds of highly corrosive acid. The bodies of the renegades were melted into steaming piles of goo, their pained cries echoed throughout the jungle as the exploding beetles even struck the enemy Chimeras.

Bright green bio-plasma then began to rain from the sky like mortar shells, the globs of corrosive semi-liquid material directly struck the remaining traitors with surprisingly deadly accuracy but what was firing those shots, he could not see. Emerging from the brush then came a eight large six legged beetle-like aliens with a pair of sharp pincer claws upon their backs, what few traitors remained opened fire upon these creatures, their blue-grey shells proved surprisingly resilient as they moved surprisingly fast towards the renegades and from one of the beasts, a gout of liquid fire was spewed from its mouth.

The traitors screamed in agony as their fatigues and flesh were set ablaze, the remnants continued to fight with an admirable degree of discipline with the last ones being brutally killed by large worms suddenly bursting out from the ground and lancing through their bodies with enough force that caused them to fall in twos. It was then that he began to feel a heavy trembling beneath his boots and before he knew, the ground exploded with a shower of dirt, stone and grass that uprooted even the trees around them.

Knocked down to his feet, Konrad was pelted with a shower of the very ground itself as something absolutely massive emerged from the alien soil just a mere handful of metres away from him and the wounded Initiate. Standing almost as tall as a Warhound Titan, he beheld a monstrous alien reptile that somewhat looked like an over-sized Krootox, with sharp fin-like appendages upon its back, countless bony spikes protruding from all over its blue-grey hid and it had many deep green eyes that held within it a terrible intellect.

In an instant, the gargantuan alien beast launched hundreds of spikes in all directions around it and Sword Brother Konrad was caught in the hail of sharpened projectiles. One of the spikes punched through his ceramite chestplate and skewered his original heart, another was lodged into his right thigh and a third took him in the left bicep while the Initiate he earlier helped was unlucky enough to take a spike to the throat as well as three others to the chest.

He then felt another tremor as numerous monstrous serpentine creatures suddenly emerged from the ground and they began spitting acidic bile towards both Space Marines and Genestealers around them. Sword Brother Konrad was then struck by a stream of this highly corrosive substance and in a matter of seconds, he was painfully reduced to a pile of melted biomass as the another serpent spat globs of acid at him.

* * *

With a loud roar escaping his lungs, Sub-Pack leader Nezar of the Pack of Dehaka made a brutal charge to a gathered cluster of prey-things. Fallen trees were crushed to splinters beneath his mighty steps as the spikes that served as his tertiary weapons regenerated quite rapidly.

Black shelled prey-things fired exploding projectiles towards his hide which easily shrugged off the shots while the blue and red ones fled before him. Bounding towards his intended destination, he leaped forward with great bladed arms raised high and he slammed them hard into the body of a black shell and flattening it to a bloody pulp.

Hot pain coursed through his body as the other black shelled creatures that dared intrude upon his domain hurled small metal eggs that exploded upon his hide and blasted bloody holes into him. Roaring more with fury rather than agony, the creature that once been a Tyrannozor endured and swung his right Kaiser Blade towards a group of black shells that looked like Terrans.

With a speed enhanced by adrenal glands, he struck a pair of black shells with bone shattering force and he sent them flying while the Primal Wurms that accompanied him spat volleys of corrosive Viscous Bile at the others. The Sub-Pack leader did not know where these Terrans came from nor how they got here, but they intruded into the territory of his pack and were a little too close one of their Hive Nests, thus they were now prey.

Primal Zerglings accompanied by Roaches and Igniters then emerged from the brush to join the attack, they spread out and attempted to outflank the few remaining Terrans while Mutalisks and Overseers pursued the fleeing red and blue creatures. To the surprise of Nezar, the Terrans did not attempt to get away and instead they attacked his underlings while holding handheld blades and roaring weapons that bore many teeth.

Content to leave killing the rest to his minions, Nezar lumbered over towards the body of one of the red and blue skinned creatures and he lowered his head to observe it with his many green glowing eyes. It was a six limbed creature with an elongatedly bulbous head, its thorax had a big bloody hole that looked like something had exploded inside of it, most likely from the weapons of the Terrans.

Sniffing its fresh corpse, he could smell Essence within it, such potent and intoxicating Essence. No longer able to resist, he opened his maw and let his long serpentine tongue slide out and wrap itself around the carcass before lifting it up to his jaws and soon he was crunching down the chitinous body of the creature and he took in its Essence. The green eyes of the former Tyrannozor briefly took up a bright orange hue as his body shook while internally, some of his organs shifted with the new genetic information it acquired.

After a moment, the Pack Leader then looked to the rest of his minions, and he watched with disinterest as they overwhelmed the last remaining Terrans, many died but such losses were both expected and acceptable for they could always spawn more. He then gazed down upon the carcass of a black shelled human and extended his tongue again.

Having tasted Human Essence before, he found nothing of interest but some new instinct from the red and blue creatures told him to try out these ones. Gingerly picking up the body and slowly bringing it to his mouth, the mighty jaws of the Sub-Pack leader crunched down on the hardened shell of the Terran and what he found within its Essence was nothing short of fascinating.

Weaving through the genetic strands of the creatures he had devoured, he was certain that he could gain greater strength from them if there were more to consume. Aware that the Overseers of his Pack had spotted more intruders within their territory, he was eager to go acquire more Essence.

* * *

A grim look came over Colonel Ziyad of the Tallarn 101st Armored as he stuck his torso out from the top of his Leman Russ Vanquisher and he gazed upon the oncoming tide of greenskins. There were quite a lot of them gathering outside of the fortress that just a few minutes ago had not even been there in the first place.

Raising a pair of magnoculars up to his eyes, the Tallarn officer made a quick survey of the advancing horde, most of the "tanks", (if one could even call those scraps of metal such) he recognized were the smaller, lighter vehicles operated by the dimininutive Gretchins but behind them came numerous larger, Super Heavies. Ranging ahead along the flanks of the horde were numerous buggies, bikes, flyers and other assorted, lightly armored, fast moving vehicles while at the back were numerous walkers and mostly worryingly of all were five of such machines which recognized were the Greenskin equivalents of Knights and a Titan.

When the Devourers had dropped the Tallarn 101st as well as that of three other Regiments, one of which were fellow Tallarn forces and the others being of the Death Korps of Krieg, they had been expecting to fight these... Zerg xenos that had somehow managed to lay siege to the primary Catachan base called Point Alpha and judging by the transmissions, the Death Worlders were being overrun. Unsurprised that a force composed mostly of light infantry had been wiped out the moment they encountered some real resistance, the Colonel knew that the real strength of the Imperial Guard was in its armored companies.

Using his micro-bead and tapping into the Vox-network, he quickly started sending out orders to the forces which General Korden had assigned under him. Sentinels, Tauroxes and Tauroses were sent to intercept the flanking Ork vehicles while Leman Russes and Wyverns formed the mighty anvil of their battle line and at the rear were the Basilisks and Hydras.

Death Korp Chimeras loaded with infantry were ordered to be held in reserve and to protect the artillery for this was to be a battle of armor to armor. Looking up, the Colonel saw the departing forms of the Devourers as they headed back up to orbit while to his right, the Executioners were already on their way to Point Alpha.

The Space Marines had merely provided their transports with an escort and now that the Guard forces had been deployed, they were off on their own to investigate the Catachan base. As much as he was glad that they would not have to share the glory of this battle with the Astartes, part of the Colonel wished that the Marines stayed to provide air support from their gunships but he could understand the necessity of splitting up their forces, considering the sudden change of their current situation.

In the mind of the Colonel, he could imagine the Astra Miliatrum's forces forming up into a loose line that curved along the edges while at the back, the Basilisk and Hydra squadrons had spread out so that the former could create overlapping fields of fire while the latter could cover protect the ground forces from the greenskin flyers. Using his magnoculars to zoom in on the nearest alien vehicle, his lips curled with distaste as he saw a small green xeno sticking out its upper body out from a light tank, it wore ridiculously poor imitation of a Commissar's cap while pointing a knife towards the Astra Militarum forces and screeching something at its fellows.

Behind the Colonel, the Basilisk crews raised their guns and opened fire, Earthshakers were launched in clouds of smoke before landing among the greenskins and obliterating many of the gretchin tanks. Greenskin vehicles were reduced to to burning wreckage and he briefly saw a look of absolute terror on the face of the grot dressed like a Commissar before an Earthshaker detonated close enough to the side and it as well as the vehicle it rode on was blown to pieces.

Knowing that the advantage of range and firepowers were theirs, the Colonel was content to let the Greenskins come to them. Another round of artillery shells were launched, the Earthshakers annihilated more Grot Tanks but the xenos still came while along the edges, the buggies and bikes began their charge.

Soon his Vanquisher would be within range of one of the enemy Grot Tanks, he could hear the crew loading the mighty anti-armor shell and one of the men called out, saying that they were ready to fire. Reaching for the powered scimitar sheathed by his left hip, the Colonel drew it and gave the order.

'FIRE!' he shouted and his voice was drowned out by the roars of dozens of tanks.

* * *

Grot tanks were krumped by the dozens, but Warboss Mormlug hardly cared for the runts were doing their job. Looking through the periscope within the _Ironhide_, his gaze was more focused on the fast moving meks he had sent to flank the umiez.

Deffkoptas, Warbikers, Buggies, Bommas and Dakkajets kept their distance as they attempted to get behind the advancing enemy meks, the Warkoptas were among the most important though as they carried groups of Kommandos and Tankbustas. Another batch of Grot tanks were destroyed, smoke and fire rose from the wreckages and the boyz merely gave hearty chuckles at the sight of the ruined machines.

Reaching for the Vox unit still held by the grots, he began to radio some of the Nob bikers and he gave the order to attack. The Warbikers led the charge and were immediately followed by the Wartrakks and the Deffkoptas while the rest of the fly boyz continued to move ahead as planned while the Warkoptas landed their passengers.

The Warboss then hailed for the transport vehicles to halt and allow the boyz to disembark, soon dozens of Slugga Boyz, Shoota Boyz, Nobz and other assorted infantry were charging headlong towards the enemy tanks while their own. The drivers of the Trukks had strict orders to head back to the fort and pick up more boyz, meanwhile, the Tanks and Wagons were almost close enough to engage the enemies with more than few already being struck at the front by high explosive shells.

Soon the Big Trakks came to a halt and raised their Supa Kannons high, the artillery guns lobbed high explosive shells towards the umiez who continued to launch volley after volley of shots towards the Orks. Behind the umie tanks, their walkers and other light, fast moving vehicles were engaged in high speed battles with those of da boyz while the Dakkajets and Bommas finally turned about and started their attack runs with the air shooty meks being their primary targets.

The _Ironhide_ then shook as its guns roared and grot guided missiles were launched from its shoulders as well as from nearby Bomm Launchas. It was at this point that the most of the Ork Tanks now trading fire with the enemy vehicles in grand clashes of machine against machine.

He then ordered for the _Ironhide_ to halt and he gave a knowing look to the Weirboy who responded with a nod.

'Alroight ladz, grab da Kombis!' called Gulzol and several Nobz went for the weapon racks where crudely welded guns were kept. These one in particular were a mix of Shootas and single use Rokkit Launchas.

The Weirdboy then led a full mob of Nobz back to the rear of the Stompa and Mormlug really wanted to go as well but he knew that his part was also extremely important. Going back to the Vox and radioing more of his forces, he once again began bellowing orders and keeping his lads in formation.

* * *

Within the passenger section of a Thunderhawk Gunship, Warlord Halfdan of the Executioners 7th Company eagerly watched the opened rear hatch of the flying transport as battle ensured between the armored forced of the Imperial Guard and to his surprise, Greenskins. As much as he wanted to get down there and start carving up the brutish xenos, the Executioners had more pressing matters to attend to.

The plan had been changed while they were in transit, the 7th Company would head to Point Alpha and provide whatever assistance they could and once the xenos had been crushed, they would head back up to the _Bastion of Dorne_. The sudden arrival of the traitor forces had taken them all by surprise but the Warlord was also eager to meet the heretics blade to blade.

Equipped in a full suit of silver and golden armor with a beaked helmet, he was using a load out that would be commonly found among Assault Marine, he was accompanied by a full squad of Vanguard Veterans who also wore Jump Packs upon their backs. Each of the Space Marines were armed with an assortment of pistols and powered close combat weapons, they were all eager to join their brothers at Point Alpha.

'Prepare to deploy!' came the voice of the pilot at the Thunderhawk's cockpit and the Warlord along with the Vanguard Veterans ran to the ledge before jumping out.

Dropping at an altitude of almost a kilometer above ground, the Jump Pack armed Astartes plummeted down towards Point Alpha while the Thunderhawks and Stormravens made their descent with two full Stormtalon squadrons along with a same number of Landspeeder Tempests serving as their escorts. From above, they could see smoke emerging from the structures of the base, a living tide of xeno bioforms were converging towards a massive creature that from above looked like a massive tooth filled maw that had emerged around the section of the outpost where the Executioners had established for their own.

Alien flying beasts he could see were already leaving the area by going south and judging by the look of things, the xeno horde as a whole were quitting the field. The machine spirit of his armor relayed all sorts of information through the HUD of his helmet's visor, data regarding the local atmosphere, gravity levels, his Jump Pack's fuel supply and more importantly, his current altitude of which was severely dropping.

Warning runes soon flashed and the Warlord swung his body forward so that his legs were now facing the incoming ground and he activated his Jump Pack which would slow down his descent. Soon the entire 7th Company landed upon the grassy plain which Point Alpha had been built upon and they were greeted with a grim sight.

The bunkers that often made up an Astra Militarum outpost had been left completely ruined, walls of rockrete and ceramite had been burned through by highly corrosive acids and blood stained the interior of the structures. Cautiously surveying the area around them with pistols raised and fists tightened around the hilts of their weapons, the Warlord and the Vanguard Veterans began their search for any xenos or survivors.

Aerial transports dropped off squads of Tactical Marines and Devastators with the latter instead using weapons that would more often be used by the Sternguard Veterans of other Chapters. They had even deployed a full squad of six Assault Centurion from one of the Thunderhawks while their gunships patrolled the cleared sky.

Silence was all that greeted the Executioners as the Vox-reports came in and no signs of life were found, even the bodies of the dead were missing as they found traces of many being dragged to where the great worm had been spotted. When they arrived at the area where the worm had been located, the creature was already gone and leaving nothing more than a massive dirt-filled crater. The Warlord then attempted to establish a communications link between is suit's machine spirit and those of those of their Battle Brothers who had been here and after a long moment, he was able to get something.

The machine spirit within Librarian Horig's armor still detected a faint but active life-sign from the psyker but it was at a critical state and he needed an Apothecary's attention. What the xenos were doing with the bodies of their dead, he did not know but it was imperative that fallen Battle Brothers and their Geneseed had to be reclaimed for without it, the very future of their Chapter would be in jeopardy.

Looking up to the sky and seeing flashes of light in orbit, Halfdan was now forced to make a tough decision. He could stick to the plan and head back up to join the ongoing space battle between the _Bastion of Dorne_ and a traitor Battleship but doing so would leave the Gene-Seeds of their fallen at the mercy of the xenos. He could also of course pursue these Zerg but doing so would leave Warlord's Guthrum's Company to face an unknown number of traitors.

After moment of deliberation, he immediately decided to pursue the xenos for he was confident that as Space Marines, their Battle Brothers aboard the _Bastion of Dorne_ would be able to handle any traitor boarding parties. Tapping into the Vox-network of their Company, the Warlord gave the order for his men to get back aboard their aerial transports.

With oaths of vengeance of upon their lips, the Executioners took to the skies again and headed south where they knew the xenos had established a large nest.

* * *

Soaring over the sea of trees, an Overseer of the Zasz Brood made its way towards the source of the unknown psychic presence, its purpose like all those of its strain was to gather intelligence for the Zerg Swarms. With its ultra-keen senses, it could detect the presence of many small, worm-like organisms ravenously consuming the very jungles of Un'lazar while other, larger creatures moved about, each one with hides of red and blue.

As the aerial reconnaissance organism headed further into the territory claimed by these unknown invaders, it detected numerous bio-mechanical structures jutting out above the soil and filling the air with microscopic spores. With its mind connected to Broodmother Araz'kesh, it followed its orders to continue surveying the area while a theory came up that these microorganisms served a similar purpose as the hyper-evolutionary virus used to infest organisms.

Eventually, the Overseer came upon what was immediately theorized as the primary hive cluster of these creatures. Amidst a section of the jungle that had now been transformed into a mass of writhing bio-mass with great pillars of flesh and chitin emerging from the ground was a mountain of metal from which was the source of this invasion.

Recognizing it as of being some sort of wrecked space-craft, the Overseer noted that there was great formation of bio-mass that covered a large portion of the vessel, much in the same way when the Zerg infested the habitation centers of other cities. Massive fleshy tentacled towers emerged from the ruined ship and in an instant, it felt the full scrutiny of the psychic presence.

In an instant, hundreds of aerial combat organisms were launched from the tentacles emerging from the infested ship, many were small winged creatures, some similar in size to a Zergling while others were comparable to larvae but there were also many far larger organisms. Advancing upon the lone Overseer, a large pack of monstrous winged creatures filled the air ear-splitting shrieks as they moved at an incredible speed while accompanied by other large aerial organisms.

Turning about and attempting to flee, the Overseer's chitinous hide was soon struck by bright green globs of bio-acid, it shrieked in pain as volleys were fired from beneath weapon organisms beneath the bodies of the winged beasts. The acid burned easily burned through the Overseer's shell and into its vulnerable internal organs and after another volley, it crashed into the ground where its body was immediately devoured by the swarms of ravenous worm-like creatures.

* * *

When the biomass of the intruding aerial organism was consumed, the swarms of worm-like creatures known to other prey-races as Rippers, traveled not to the nearest Reclamation Pool but instead back to their Hive where their primary leader organism awaited. Scuttling in great numbers back to the mountain of metal that had once been a Space Hulk, the Rippers needed only to arrive at one of its main entrances where the Hive Tyrant recuperated by a pool of digested biomass held within a bio-constructed maw of meat and chitin.

Many scars criss-crossed the armored hide of the leader organism as it leaned down and fed on a slurry of biomass, the green blood of orkoid prey had stained its red and blue shell and its wounds quickly regenerated through the feeding. When the Rippers came to the Hive Tyrant, it casually picked one of the worms and with its clawed hands before biting down on it and feeding on the partially digested biomass of the creature their Hive Crones had shot down.

Genetic information as well as memories flowed into the brain of the Hive Tyrant who earlier had established a brief telepathic link with a nearby species of creatures somewhat like them that resided on this planet. Within its thoughts, the Hive Tyrant merely sampled a small portion of the genetic information of these creatures, these Zerg and it found a prey-species with a great deal of intriguing bio-morphs that it was certain would greatly benefit the Hive Fleets as a whole.

Sending out a great telepathic call, the entire swarm of which was splinter of what the prey-races such as the humans knew as Hive Fleet Behemoth readied themselves once more for war.


	6. Chapter 6

Within an Observatory at New Talematros, Ledea of the Ara Tribe monitored the activities of more than two dozen Observers placed under her command. Dressed in ornate robes of red and gold, she stood by her works-station, one of many gilded holographic terminals, where she was shown numerous data- feeds from the surveillance constructs that kept an eye on the activities of the invaders. After many new flashes that emerged from warp space, the Observers had been mobilized to gather what information they could.

In orbit above Ulnuran, the forest green colored human vessel was now firing upon a similar looking ship, but one with a crimson and white color-scheme and adorned with numerous sharp spikes and bearing an insignia depicting a horned skull that was on fire. Judging by the transmissions which the Observers had been able to intercept, the former ship was called the _Vosotho_ while the latter was known as _Blessing of Jarulek_. Both ships traded fire in a furious orbital battle, from lances of energy weapons to massive explosive torpedoes crashed upon powerful energy shield while numerous smaller fighter craft were launched from hangars.

Elsewhere, another battle was taking place as numerous crude, ramshackle ships were engaged against a sinister looking vessel made from some dark metal and glowing with bright green lights. Attacking in a great swarm, many of the primitive looking vessels were effortlessly obliterated by bright green arcs of lightning while others were engaged against smaller ships of a design similar to that of the black and green vessel.

Numerous battles were also being waged across the continent where the first of the human invaders had landed while so far, there had been no reports yet of unknown alien activity upon the other continents. Just to be sure, the Observers assigned to those other regions were left to wander about and scout out for any possible activity but until then, the forces of the Daelaam concentrated their efforts on a single landmass.

As an interesting, aside one of the Observers under her control of which had been stationed in a region south of Executor Lacea and Ametelon's current position, had noted that the stasis dome that covered one of the many Xel'naga Construct facility had suddenly powered down. Since their arrival, the Protoss had found a number of these stasis-sealed facilities which their explorers believed contained Xel'naga security constructs, as of why the Gods had placed such security measures, the Firstborn could not say why.

It was then that a psychic signal was sent from the facility and towards all Protoss forces on that continent.

* * *

+_Purity of Form, Firstborn+_ came a deep, mechanical voice with the thoughts of Executor Lacea as she still stood in front of the mining outpost's Nexus with many gathered ground troops around her and she realized that it spoke to all of them and in her mind's eye, she saw the image of a Xel'naga construct, like those that guarded Ulnar. +_The sanctity of this world has been breached, the enemies of the Old Ones, the Necrontyr have come_+

+_Necrontyr_?+ questioned Amatelon whose cloaked Tempest hovered directly above Lacea with the Mothership, _Circle of Night_ just behind the aerial artillery vessel. '_What are these Necrontyr and who are the Old Ones_?'

+_The Old Ones are ancient allies to the Xel'naga_\+ explained the construct. +_Their enemies have come and we must honor the pact of the Creators._+

+_We will do no such thing_!+ announced the Auriga Executor. +_We are already embroiled in a war, we will shall brook no further conflict against beings we have no quarrel with!_+

+_Executor, we must stand against the Souldark_\+ came the whispered voice of Eldrad. +_They seek to exterminate all life within the cosmos and will no doubt wage war against your people, just as the Imperium would._+

Having long ago come to trust the words of the entity within the stone, Lacea was quick to interject.

+_We should postpone the attack on the human base for now and investigate these Necrontyr_\+ suggested the Velari Executor. +_It would be wise to gather information first before acting_.+

+_I am in agreement_\+ whispered Amaka. +_We still do not know the full defensive capabilities of the human base and we know nothing of these... Necrontyr_+

+_It seems my own Observers have detected warp space anomalies as well_\+ came the irritated voice of Val'ritha who no doubt would have been eager to lay waste to the humans. +_I will see to this personally+_

_+My forces will continue to harry these Imperium humans, I will begin my assault as soon as the rest of you are ready+_ spoke Amatelon and most of the Templar fleet advanced. Gracefully moving ahead, the only vessels that would have been visible to the naked eye were the Arbiters and the _Circle of Night_, Lacea could imagine the surprise of the humans when they faced what was merely a minor fraction of the might of the Golden Armada.

+_What are our orders, Executor_?+ asked a nearby Aiur Zealot towards Lacea and she turned her eyes towards the warrior who dutifully held his Solarite Reaper in a readied stance with dozens of others at his side.

+_Hold your ground_\+ replied Lacea. +_I will send Warp Prisms to the south_+

+_By your will_\+ bowed the Zealot and the other warriors obeyed.

Soon enough, a pair of Warp Prisms, one of which was fully loaded with Sentries and accompanied by an Observer flew south of the mesa. It was fortunate that the Daelaam possessed many means to avoid unnecessary risks to precious Protoss lives, especially when they had access to many AI constructs which reminded Lacea of the situation with the Purifiers.

* * *

The blazing xeno poleaxe crashed against the energy shield of Chaplain Decimus' Rosarius and in return, he swung his Crozius Arcanum towards the head of the alien construct. Striking with concussive force, the xeno machine warrior of which was also protected by an energy shield fought on unfazed as both of them traded blows again and again in a mighty duel.

Around the Chaplain, he knew that the same could not be said for his Battle Brothers as they were forced to engage in melee with the other alien warrior constructs with orange lights dancing around them while they all fought beneath a gleaming dome of energy. These Protoss were about as strong, tough and resilient like Necrons, each of the machines was protected by an energy shield and to make things worse were fast like Eldar.

For the Tactical Marines, they fared poorly as most of them were armed with combat knives or were forced to use their guns as bludgeons, their sergeants fared marginally better with their chain or power weapons but ultimately, they were being overrun. Invisible alien warriors struck from behind the Astartes while those armed with energy claws continued to attack from the front.

One of their Dreadnoughts had been destroyed, the xeno walkers of which greatly outnumbered those the Aurora Chapter deployed possessed extremely potent anti-vehicle weaponry. The remaining two Dreadnoughts attempted to support the Tactical Marines but in the furious melee that now ensued, they were forced to carefully pick their shots lest they accidentally shoot a fellow Battle Brother, not that they could do much for a second walker was immediately obliterated in a hail of bright energy rounds that detonated upon its already damaged hull.

The Terminators on the other hand still held, the sheer resiliency of their armor provided a greater degree of protection from the blazing claws of the Protoss, their Power Fists, although rather unwieldy did massive damage whenever they struck. Unfortunately for the 1st Company Veterans, the aliens soon sent much larger and even deadlier warrior constructs that proved to be even stronger and more tougher than the smaller ones that had engaged most of the strike force while retaining the same degree of agility to match an Eldar warrior.

Focusing on his battle with the poleaxe wielding warrior machine, the Chaplain shrugged off another strike and swung his Crozius which his foe once more took before being surrounded again with its own shield. On the HUD of his helmet, the Chaplain saw that the energy levels of his Rosarius was becoming dangerously low and he had no idea if the alien machine's own was likewise being depleted.

Spitefully cursing the machine warrior, the Chaplain anticipated for the next strike, he saw as the the axe came straight towards his head and he brought up his Crozius in time to block it while simultaneously bringing up his storm bolter which he fired at full auto. Bolt rounds detonated at close range into the shield of his foe before finally, some got through and blasted chunks of metal and circuitry out of its abdomen but still it stood.

The alien machine the released its right hand grip on the shaft of the poleaxe and it quickly brought it down on his left hand where a pair of energy blades ignited. Before the Chaplain knew it, the two blazing claws punched through what remained of his shield and into his armored left forearm, charring meat and bone in an instant before losing all feeling towards that extremity.

Activating his Terminator Suit's teleporter, the Chaplain instantly vanished in a flash of orange light and he materialized right behind the alien and he swung his Crozius one handed with all of his might. With a great crash, his maul slammed into the side of the machine warrior's head and crumpling it, the orange lights upon its body flickered for a few moments before dying out and a grin of triumph creased upon the lips of Decimus beneath his helmet.

Suddenly, there was a flash of white light in front of him and the next thing he knew, an exact copy of the machine he had just destroyed was now standing before him with blazing energy claws ignited over its fists.

'YOU ARE TO BE COMMENDED, HUMAN!' boomed the machine warrior in perfect Low Gothic with a genuinely mirthful tone in it's deep voice. 'IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG SINCE I, RHENARDTHOS OF THE PURIFIERS HAVE FOUND A WORTHY ADVERSARY!'

Part of the Chaplain had expected for the fighting around them to have paused but the alien machines continued to slash and cut at the Marines of the Aurora Chapter and he realized it was only this Rhenardthos who had halted. Two of the Terminators near him were suddenly engulfed by bright orange explosions of searing energy that left scorched holes onto the front of their armor.

'LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND BY MY HONOR, WE SHALL SPARE YOUR WARRIORS!' then demanded the alien machine.

'Never!' replied Chaplain Decimus. 'It is an affront to the God Emperor to surrender to the likes of xeno-filth!'

'HA A FINE RESPONSE!' boomed this Rhenardthos machine with genuine admiration in its voice. 'DEATH IS THE FATE OF ALL WARRIORS YET ONE SHOULD MEET IT WITH HEAD HELD HIGH!'

In the next moment, the alien thrust both of its claws towards the Chaplain who in turn swung his Crozius again and it struck once more into a defensive shield. More pain flared through the nerves of Decimus as the energy blades tore through his armored chest and into the sides of his waist, he could feel its searing his entrails before quickly being pulled out.

The alien continued to slash and stab at him with a furious flurry of blows, each hit was akin to being struck by a power axe. Continuing to bash at the alien again and again with his Crozius, his strength began to fail as his wounds became too great and on his HUD, he saw that the life-signs of far too many Battle Brothers had flat-lined.

Raising his Crozius again before attempting to strike at his relentless opponent, the alien machine quickly then severed his right hand from the wrist and drove another pair of blazing blades into his face and killing him instantly.

* * *

Gazing up to the gargantuan construct that communicated with, whatever these Firstborn were, Autarch Baelinar cast his thoughts to his forces of which remained both cautious and ever alert for any signs of danger. The Nightwings and Crimson Hunters of which had fortunately not crashed into any of the towering spires around them were now scouting the surrounding area while Swooping Hawk Aspect Warriors likewise did the same.

The animus of his armor had linked with those units of their airborne units and were providing him with a great deal of topographical data. Judging by the preliminary reconnaissance information, it seemed that their forces were the only ones who had arrived in this place where he could sense a powerful buildup of unknown psychic energy, but there was also something different, something very deep and profound to the Autarch that he could not quite put his finger on.

+_Do you not all feel it?_\+ came the awed voice of one of the Warlocks whose thought casting was directed towards all of them. +_The Sha'eil here, it is... different, calm, I cannot feel the presence of She Who Thirsts_+

Those mind words was more than enough to stun every Eldar gathered within the ruins because they all knew within their hearts that it was true. For the very first time in the long lives of the Craftworlders, they were finally free of Slaanesh's grip but how that was even possible, they could not say but Baelinar remembered what the constructs had told them, that they were in a different universe.

Regardless of this unusual development, they still had more pressing matters to attend to and the Autarch turned his attention to the Webway Assembly. The animus of the command structure connected with that of his armor and through its systems, he learned that this world had an active Webway, but one that was very limited in its scope and certainly had no way to get them back to the Void Stalker, _Sevir_.

If the machine spoke true and that its creators, these Xel'Naga were in someway affiliated with the Old Ones then here was proof it for it had been the cold blooded ancients who had taught the ancestors of the Eldar the secrets of the Warp and the Webway in the time of the War in Heaven. At the least, it would allow them relocate their base once more and make it far easier to find the rest of the Valserian forces.

Accessing the communications system of his armor, he was attempted to establish a link again to their forces that had occupied Xaiak. Upon the HUD of his helmet, a rune flashed across his vision, signalling that it successfully done so and he began to speak.

'Elemire, can you hear me?' asked Baelinar. 'Have you made contact with our other forces?'

'Yes I have' replied the other Autarch. 'Thankfully, their positions are not too far from Xaiak and are now regrouping.'

'And our allies?' then asked the Naharynath lord.

'The same' answered Elemire in a non too fond manner. 'I have been able to contact some of them but they are currently engaged in battle with Imperial, Chaos or Necron forces.'

Hissing a curse at the mention of the followers of the Great Enemy, he could only wonder if they too had somehow been cut off from the dread presence of the Dark Gods. Whatever was the case, what would be for the best was to link up with whatever troops had been relocated here and re-plan their strategy but such a thing would only be a temporary solution as he looked up to the construct.

+_Machines_\+ he mentally said while addressing the giants that stood vigilant over the warhost. +_Is there a way to activate these dimensional gates?_+

+_The Dimensional Gates from this side may only be opened by the Xel'Naga or by those possessing the Purity of Form and Essence+_ answered the robotic guardians with their gaze focused upon him.

+_What are these Purities you keep mentioning?_\+ then asked the Autarch with genuine curiosity as he looked directly into the blazing eyes of one of the machines.

+_The Purity of Form is given to those species possessing great psionic potential_\+ explained the constructs. +_The Firstborn, of which have already settled on this world partly possess the means to open the dimensional gates but they will need the aid of those with the Purity of Essence._+

+_And what of these beings with Purity of Essence?_\+ asked Baelinar.

+_The Purity of Essence is given to those races possessing great evolutionary potentia_l+ explained the constructs once more. +_We have detected their presence on the moon of Un'lazar. __Without the creators, the Xel'naga, you will need both of these races to combine their strength to open the way back to your dimension._+

+_Interesting..._\+ nodded Baelinar as he privately began to considered what he had just learned. The creatures that possessed these Purities were the only way of which the Eldar forces could return to their universe but he had no idea what to expect from these beings, save that one would be powerful psychics while other, by his guess were capable of changing themselves, he wondered if perhaps it was similar in manner to the way the Tyranids or Kroot could evolve.

Like most Craftworlds, the Eldar of Valseris had fought and occasionally allied with numerous lesser races over the many Passes since the Fall, the _Mon'keigh_ Imperium would be the first to come to mind but in recent times, the Valserians had also found reason to make contact with the nascent Tau Empire during its sojourn through the Great Wheel's eastern reaches. Baelinar himself had participated in numerous of battles alongside the naive creatures against several common threats and had at the least, found them to be far more reliable pawns than the Imperium.

Although their alliance had immediately ended once the dangers to both had passed, the armies of the Craftworld and the aliens had at the least parted amicably with no side attempting treachery. When the warhosts of Valseris had discovered that the Tau Empire had also been fighting on that forgotten world of the Old Ones, it was a simple matter for the Craftworlders to reforge their previous pact and work together against the various foes once more.

This very same alliance though could not be said for some of the other, allies to which the Valserians had found themselves fighting alongside for they were beings the Craftworlders had far less trust in. The Autarch then turned his attention to Arathel and the Seer Council and he cast his thoughts towards them.

+_Can your visions tell us these Firstborn creatures?_\+ asked Baelinar and immediately, the Council linked their minds together as they reached out into the unnaturally calm _Sha'eil_ around them. Each of the warrior mystics carried with them pouches filled with psychically active rune stones, through these runes, visions of future were perceived and prophecies could be made.

Glowing with a shining white light, as arcane words flowed from the minds and lips of the psykers, the runes which they carried escaped their pouches and floated up around them. Encircling the gathered Prophets, three runes soon broke off and floated towards the Autarch before halting a mere few inches from his eyes.

The first was a glowing runestone depicting the symbol of _Skale _which represented honor and strength. Then came the runestone of _Ceyl_ which meant order and justice before finally there came one last rune depicting _Istryn_ which represented common causes and alliances.

The power of the Seers then began to fade as the runestones returned to their respective owners and Farseer Arathel fixed the Autarch a hard look, despite his face being concealed beneath his Ghost Helm.

+_We must travel north_\+ mentally spoke the Farseer in a tone that made it clear that it was not a mere suggestion. +_Our presence has already been detected, we must meet our hosts and forge this alliance.+_

+_And it shall be done_\+ nodded the Autarch who then looked to Exarch Ingmir of the Hidden Demise shrine who like all the Eldar gathered around the base would have heard the telepathic conversation.

+_Take command of our forces Exarch_\+ commanded Baelinar. +_I will take two squadrons of Windriders, the Seer council and our aircraft to make contact with these Firstborn, take the rest of our forces back to Xaiak_+

+_As you wish_\+ bowed the Warp Spider Exarch.

Having nothing else to say, the Autarch soon mounted his jetbike and after starting up the engines, he along with the rest of his chosen forces were on their way with Farseer Arathel at the lead. Speeding past the spire of dark grey structures with teal lights, the terrain was open enough that there was little danger of them crashing into solid pillars and after about a minute of swift travel, they zoomed over ancient walls and onto a lush coastal plain with healthy green copses of trees here and there.

If he didn't know any better, it seemed like they would have landed on a Maiden World he thought as he was tempted to remove his helmet and breathe in the natural air which his armor's animus had detected was perfectly breathable. Perhaps when this was over, the Valserians could send word to the larger Craftworlds such as Biel-Tan or Iyanden and mark this world for possible future colonization.

It was a stretch of course, but the Eldar of Valseris had always thought the dream of rebuilding the Aeldari Empire to be a goal worth pursuing over the constant fight for survival that engulfs most Craftworlds. Focusing his thoughts back to the task at hand, Baelinar was ready to meet these Firstborn.

* * *

'Thank the Emperor' whispered Palatine Emilia Dejanus of the Order of the Our Martyred Lady as she stood within the aisle of of an Ecclesiarchal Cathedral, the primary command structure for any force of the Adepta Sororitas, the Sisters of Battle. She was a fair skinned, scar-faced woman with white dyed hair and blue eyes who was clad in the black and red power armor of a high ranking member (just below that of a Canoness) of her Order, she was relieved to hear that contact had been established with fellow Imperial forces.

'They have identified themselves as the Cadian 999th' continued Sister Kara of the Orders Dialogous who was also clad in a suit of power armor of which was adorned with parchment filled with a holy script, she carried a brass dialogous staff with an attached Laud Hailer. 'They have also confirmed that there is at least one Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, the Aurora Chapter that has accompanied them to this world.'

'But what of our other forces?' questioned the Palatine with genuine puzzlement for just a few minutes ago, they had been upon a barren plateau of black stone and dust. 'Have you been able to make contact with the _Katherine's Shield_?'

'No, Palatine, we have lost all contact with the _Katherine_' answered Sister Kara which worried Emilia greatly. The _Katherine's Shield _was an Excorcist Grand Cruiser that had been given over to the Ecclesiarchy. Within the hallowed vessel's hull, four Preceptories, one each from the Order of the Our Martyred Lady, the Sacred Rose, the Bloody Rose and Valorous Heart had been transported to the unknown world, originally they had expected to be joining the ongoing conflict within the Jericho Reach.

'How far is this Fort Creed then?' asked the Palatine.

'Southeast of our position Palatine, they must surely not be too far if we can Vox them directly' replied Sister Kara. 'Should we prepare to link up with them?'

'No not yet' spoke Emilia. 'We should make sure this area is secured first.'

'Understood' nodded the Sister Dialogous who was then dismissed and she headed back to the Cathedral's vox center but not before making the sign of the Aquila towards the gilded statue of the God Emperor at the main shrine.

Feeling the cool temperate air kiss her skin, Palatine Emilia had been just as confused as the rest of their forces for they had just been in the middle of establishing an outpost for the Order of the Our Martyred Lady until suddenly, there had been that big flash of light that engulfed them. Now they were out in the middle of nowhere with the entire base having ended up with them.

At the very least, the outpost was well stocked with ammunition and supplies but that may not last once battle occurred but it was of some comfort to know that they knew that they were not alone. Turning to the gilded statue of the Emperor behind her, she gave thanks to Him on Earth before making her way down the aisle, beneath the gaze of statues and stained glass windows depicting the Primarchs and towards the main entrance to the Cathedral where bright sunlight entered the interior.

Soon she stepped outside, not upon black dusty rock but fecund green soil that was full of verdant life. The base which they established was much like any outpost of the Adepta Sororitas. Structures such as the Convents served as the barracks for the Sisters of Battle themselves, the Pristine Sanctuary was not only a place of worship but also a place to store their blessed wargear and they even established a pair of Manufactorums and a Holy Reliquary. But among the grandest of all was the great stone shrine built in honor of Saint Celestine, her likeness was perfectly carved upon the edifice as if the Living Saint herself was watching over them.

There were also six Plasma Generators placed behind the Cathedral provided power to the base while four Listening Posts and six heavy turrets armed with Multi-Meltas provided a defensive perimeter around the outpost. Currently stationed at the base was a full commandery of over two hundred Battle Sisters divided into numerous squads with dedicated transports assigned each as well and more than twice the number of Frateris Militia led by Preachers or missionaries who were mostly armed with very basic guns or close combat weapons that would not be out of place in the hands of a common street ganger.

Heavenly music played from the Laud Hailers attached to the buildings of their base where the treble voices of choirboys sang psalms dedicated to the glory of the Emperor. To all of the faithful within the base, their spirits were uplifted by the song as they went about their work of further fortifying their position from any enemy attacks.

Suddenly in the distance to the west about a mile away, Emilia saw several bright red flashes of light in the sky and her eyes widened with surprise as she saw a massive alien vessel appear in the sky. She was greeted by the sight of an absolutely massive ship that formed a triangular shape with a dome crimson dome at the center, it bore a deep black hull with many blood red lights and it was accompanied by ten other vessels with the same coloring, she could see numerous smaller vessels as well.

'To arms!' immediately ordered the Palatine and the music being played was soon replaced by a wailing siren, warning all within the base to ready themselves.

* * *

Materializing in a flash of crimson light, a portion of the Death Fleet of the Daelaam-Tal'darim had descended upon the skies of Ulnuran with the _Bringer of Ashes_ at its hearts. Escorted by eight Destroyers, Two Carriers, a twelve unit squadron of Scouts and another of Phoenixes, a pair of stealthed Oracles as well as nine War Prisms, this small fleet had appeared above the position of one of the many intruders that trespassed upon this world.

Beneath the Daelaam-Tal'darim ships were a dozen anti-gravity hovercraft, all of which were concealed by umbral sphere of pure shadows that were pierced by the mechanical eye of an Observer as well as advanced Nerazim sensor systems aboard the two Oracles and they could also detect some form of defensive shielding. Streaming what they witnessed towards the other ships, Fleet Lady Val'ritha, of whom sat upon her command throne with a holo-terminal in front of her was able to get a good look at this particular group of creatures that had appeared too close to Terrazine extraction facility.

Possessing hulls the color of dark amethyst and ruby red, each of the machines were adorned with cruel blades and she could see slender, pale skinned creatures mounted atop them. Having already prepared a psi to speech device, the Fleet Lady telepathic words were immediately translated into the primitive language of the Imperium humans which for some reason was different compared to that of the Terrans.

'ATTENTION TRESPASSERS!' boomed the voice of the Daelaam-Tal'darim Executor that would have flowed into whatever communications technologies they used. 'I AM FLEET LADY VAL'RITHA! IDENTIFY YOURSELVES OR WE WILL BURN YOUR FORCES TO ASH!

The holo-terminal in front of her chimed and a message displayed that one of the creatures below attempted to open a communications link. Pressing a holographic key, the terminal's lights briefly went out as it switched to video communications mode and she was greeted by the angular face of a pale skinned, black haired creature that looked suspiciously similar to a human, save for tapered ears that ended in points but most notably of all were its obsidian colored eyes that held within it a keen intellect and ancient malice, its vocal orifice, its mouth began flapping to reveal sharp edged teeth and it spoke as well in the language of the Imperium humans.

'I am Exarian Barbstorm, Dracon of the Kabal of the Encarmine Dragons' said the creature that was clearly a male with a sibilant and melodious tone that was filled with pride, cruelty, arrogance and a modicum of polite civility. 'What manner of creature are you?'

'And I am an Executor of the Protoss, the Firstborn' answered Val'ritha with an air of imperious superiority. 'We have claimed dominion over this world which your kind and the Imperium humans now trespass.'

'You are in luck then, Executor' spoke this Exarian creature in an impassive and collected manner but in his eyes, she could see that there was some ulterior motive, some scheme he was plotting. 'My people, the Drukhari are enemies of the Imperium of Man, perhaps we can forge a pact? One of mutual alliance against a common foe?'

Despite being completely confident that her forces could reduce these Drukhari creatures to cinders with but a word, the Fleet Lady of course was nevertheless intrigued by the bold offer. Even from her throne and within the _Bringer of Ashes_, she could sense some unknown psychic power emanating from these Drukhari, it was hard to tell if they themselves were psionic or if it was something else, something that she was keenly interested in finding out.

'Such an amusing offer' replied Val'ritha who carefully modulated her voice to make it sound like she was about to refuse and was rewarded by seeing a brief expression of barely concealed panic on the creature's face as he likely thought that she would decline and fire upon them. 'So I accept this bargain, Exarian Barbstorm, prepare your forces and we will crush these humans together!'

The Drukhari leader's vocal orifice then creased into what Val'ritha believed was called a grin and he slight bow before cutting the communications link. The Fleet Lady then cast her thoughts to the officers of aboard the vessels and she made sure that what she sent was done so in private.

+_Keep an eye on these, Drukhari_\+ commanded the Fleet Lady. +_If they so much as attempt to flee or hold back during the battle, each of you have my permission to kill them all_+

+_Your will, imposed_\+ obeyed one of the Masters aboard a Destroyer and the Death Fleet began its advance.

* * *

'Is this wise, my lord?' came the worried voice of a warrior named Sabioth who operated the Disintegrator to right of Exarian Barbstorm who steered a Ravager.

'Fool! Do you want those ships to bombard us!?' hissed the Dracon towards the half-born gunner who was admonished to the amusement of the other crew-members.

'N-no my lord' quickly answered the warrior.

'Now be silent' spoke the Dracon and Sabioth returned to the turret he was assigned to while the Dracon put on his helmet and it its neural interface booted up.

Well this a fine predicament thought Exarian Barbstorm, as he looked up to see the many black and red alien vessels above them and he cursed at their lack of dedicated anti-air weaponry. The vessels of these... Protoss creatures hovered above them and he could see at least two dozen fighter craft zooming about, what was most worrisome was that he noted the way which the ships armed with those blood red crystalline weapons were aiming directly at them, as if they could actually see past their Night Shields, and he surmised that the aliens had some form of highly advanced detection technologies.

Exarian currently led a force composed of a pair of Ravagers, four Venoms and six Raiders. Each of the Raider transports were loaded with Kabalite Warriors while the Venoms carried cliques of fellow Trueborn who all sported an assortment of the deadly guns that their social status could easily afford in comparison to the lowly half-born that formed the lower orders of Dark Eldar society.

Originally, the Kabalite raiding force had been on their way to probe the defenses of a Mon'keigh outpost that had been established in an area close to where the Dark Eldar had set up a hidden war camp. Exarian had even just been about to order an attack until they all felt that build up of warp energy that was powerful enough to be sensed even by the Dark Eldar themselves with their atrophied psychic abilities.

Next thing they knew, they were here on some planet that was full of loathsome and unsanitary green life. There was also something different that the Dracon felt, something that felt very off but he could not quite say what it was. He had then attempted to make contact with their Kabal's fleet and had been at least able to hail the _Bracchus_, a Torture Class Cruiser carried many supplies, munitions and slaves.

He had requested a status update from the ship and they were just confused as he was. The crew aboard the _Bracchus_ had lost contact with the rest of their fleet and it was shortly afterwards that he had been interrupted by the arrival of these Protoss creatures. Now it seemed that his forces had no other choice than to proceed with their original plan of attacking the Mon'keigh.

Although the Dracon had been able to easily dupe the creatures into not firing upon them and instead towards the humans, he internally smoldered at the arrogance of the alien leader, this Val'ritha who no doubt was commanding the fleet from the massive ship above them. He would have to find a way to humble her later but for now, he had Mon'keigh to kill.

'_Sa'an'ishar_!' he called to his forces and in the next moments, engines and weapons were readied.

The dozen Kabalite skimmers moved forward at a combat speed with the two dozen alien flyers right behind them and Exarian suspected that they were there to make sure the Dark Eldar held up their end of this deal. Muttering a curse in Khaine's name, the Dracon looked ahead towards the human outpost they were originally going to attack and he already was planning on what should be done.

Raising a cylindrical, crystalline device up to the right eye of his helmet, an object known simply as a scrying glass, it allowed him to get a better, up close view on their prey, he saw that the Mon'keigh were forming up into a large mob while black and red armored females were mounting up in those ridiculous metal boxes called Rhinos. He also saw the defense turrets that surrounded the base and the black and gold obelisks with large guns attached to the sides, the animus within the viewing device recognized that each of these emplacements were armed with short ranged weapons, which made it fortunate that the Dark Eldar raiding force brought with them many Dark Lances and Disintegrators.

Looking up to their "allies" he saw a group of nine vessel descend until they were about fifty yards above the ground and were at a distance from the base a little below the maximum range of a Necron Gauss Pylon, the black and red colored ships then extended their two wings and adjusted their positions so that the section where the cockpit should have been was facing upwards. There were numerous bright flashes of light beneath the flyers and the next thing he knew, there were several walkers that suddenly appeared below them but most notably of all were three, absolutely massive machines that were the size of Titans.

More flashes of light then popped beneath the nine Protoss flying machines and in a matter of seconds, they took the form of black and red armored walkers, warriors and machines that somewhat looked Tau drone constructs, some of the latter though had colorings of blue and gold or silver-white and orange. The air around the titanic walkers that took the form of long legged insect-like machines with a very top heavy design was filled with a charge as they faced the human base and after a moment, they fired massive blazing bolts of crimson plasma that emitted a high pitched screech even he could hear from this distance.

The crimson plasma shots struck three of the defense turrets with a surprising degree of accuracy, each scored a direct hit that reduced the ceramite plating of the buildings to molten slag but the gun emplacements still held. Beneath the titan-sized walkers the smaller walkers and alien infantry were forming up into numerous groups while the drone-like machine began creating domes of energy around them and some began firing bright orange beams that lasted for only a moment.

Dancing orange lights now surrounded the titanic machines and after two seconds, they fired another volley of screeching plasma, that destroyed their targets in burning conflagrations of fires before switching to the obelisks armed with large twin-linked flamers. The humans immediately began advancing to the position of the Protoss, a wild mob of hundreds of robed human males ran directly towards them while the red and black vehicles split up in and attempted to flank from the sides.

With a quick series of orders over the communications network, the skimmers of the Kabal evenly divided into two groups with each Ravager leading the interception force and accompanied by a pair of Venoms and three Raiders. The Protoss Flyers split up as well with a dozen accompanying the skimmers against what Exarian could see were ten red and black metal boxes he knew were called Rhinos with at least three of those vehicles he recognized were a type of assault variant he knew were called Immolators which possessed gun turrets on top.

To the crude eyes of the Mon'keigh, the Dark Eldar skimmers would have appeared as a moving balls of pure darkness, for each of the grav-craft had been outfitted with both Night Shields and Flickerfields which provided different forms of protections to the lightly armored vehicles. Hunter-killer missiles were fired from the Mon'keigh transports, the extremely long ranged anti-tanks weapon were about as effective as the more common Krak Missiles, most of which were aimed towards the Dark Eldar who saw them coming.

Preparing for evasive maneuvers, the skimmers allowed the missiles to come towards them before jinking to the sides, their Night Shields worked wonderfully when performing such movements and six of the missiles missed and struck the ground behind the grav-craft. The other missiles were aimed towards the Protoss flyers, the pilots of the vehicles also engaged in evasive maneuvers are were able to the avoid the explosives which on its own did not posses the targeting systems required to reliably track aerial targets but one managed to and when struck, the aircraft was engulfed in smoke and fire but was protected by a crimson defensive shield that shrugged off the explosive ordnance.

Knowing that such weapons were good for only one shot, Exarian ordered for the gunners aboard his Ravager and the Raiders to focus their targets on the Immolators. Maintaining their combat speed, the skimmer craft of the Kabal of the Encarmine Dragon took aim at the their prey as the distance between both forces were rapidly closing in. The Mon'keigh were the first to halt, the transports lowered their ramps and allowed the squads of white haired warrior females to disembark from the rear hatches and they formed into firing lines.

In a matter of heartbeats, the Dark Lances of the Drukhari were within range and they opened fire upon the primitive metal boxes. Aboard Exarian's ravager, a female warrior named Ashniel who was assigned to the front of the craft and operating its sole Darklight weapon was able to score a penetrating hit upon an Immolator's gun turret. The deep amethyst beam was said to be composed of the very same energies that made up a black hole and it seared a hole directly into the center of the protective casing of the gun turret and into the face of the human female gunner operating it.

The three Raiders fired their Dark Lances at the very same time as Ashniel, each one aimed at the three Immolators which tended to be far more heavily armed than the Rhinos. Two of metal boxes, including the one which Exarian's Ravager had shot at went up in flames, the explosions knocked down some of the nearby disembarked Mon'keigh infantry with a few of the unlucky ones getting shards of metal stuck in their unprotected heads.

Internally mocking the foolishness of pretty much anyone who went into battle without such a vital piece of protection he was immediately bathed in that invigoratingly pleasing, invisible wave of agony and suffering. Drawing power from the painful demise of the few Mon'keigh, that sensation only grew as the death toll rose.

* * *

As the _Bringer of Ashes_ came to a halt above the Wrathwalkers, Fleet Lady Val'ritha materialized upon the surface of Ulnuran along with the many infantry warriors of the Daelaam-Tal'darim. Supported by Havocs and numerous sentry variants loaned from the other Daelaam forces, the modified Colossi bombarded the human defenses with their Charged Blasts.

Intended as siege weapon like the Colossus of which it was modified from, the armaments of the Wrathwalkers were far more effective to an extreme when used against structures yet it could still be quite deadly when wielded upon units and could even reliably shoot down aircraft. Beneath the long legs of the robotic artillery units, twelve Vanguards and numerous Slayers, Adepts, Supplicants, Blood Hunters and Zealots formed up into squadrons with five other Ascendants at their lead while the Destroyers formed a battle line in the air in front of the _Bringer of Ashes_ while the Carriers flanked the Mothership.

The two Oracles of which were equipped with the same stealth drives used by Nerazim Corsairs kept an eye on their... "allies" along with their Phoenixes and Scouts while the lone Observer that had spotted the Drukhari in the first place was sent ahead towards the enemy. The Havocs used their Squad Sight to enhance the range of their weapons while Purifier Energizers and Conservators were deployed with the former using their Chrono-beams to improve the speed and firing rate of the Protoss forces and soon enough the horde of humans were almost within range of their other units.

Sending a mental command for the Wrathwalkers to continue firing upon the human structures, Val'ritha desired the honor of shedding first blood in this battle. The crimson aura of raw psionic energy that surrounded her flared into a blazing fury as she drew upon the power of the Void, sparks of electricity danced between her fingertips as she focused her mind on the foe.

During the war against Amon, Val'ritha had been made sixth Ascendant after Alarak, through Rak'shir usurped the position of Highlord from Ma'lash and afterwards had participated in numerous battles against lackeys of the Dark God. In that time, she as well as a select number of Ascendants who served directly under the new Highlord had learned how to not only consume the life-force of Supplicants but to be strengthened by it, to have overwhelming power that imbued her psionic capabilities. The Fleet Lady privately theorized that it was similar in some ways to the techniques used to create the Archons, but instead of forming an unstable and temporary being of raw psychic wrath, it added the strengths of the consumed to the Ascendant.

Now against these Imperium humans, she was glad to show them her might. Behind the horde of robe wearing primitives, she noticed a four highly ornate tanks with numerous brass tubes at the back and a pair of human operators, there were also six walking vehicles that loped just behind the throng, curiously she noted that the latter had the pilots left completely exposed. The tanks each fired a single missile which sailed towards two of the Wrathwalkers and both had sustained heavy damage to their shields, despite the Protective Fields of the Conservators but it was nothing to worry about for the Khalai Sentries were already replenishing the plasma shields.

Quickly sending more mental commands to the five Ascendants, they focused their will upon the tanks with Val'ritha being the first to unleash her fury by casting Mind Blast. Crimson energy from the Void infused one of the black and red tanks, the head of the white haired human female gunner exploded in a shower of meat and bone as well as that of the other human behind her while the crew inside likely suffered a similar fate while the vehicle immediately went up in flames.

The other Ascendants quickly used the same power to annihilate the machines while the last one was destroyed by the screaming energy blasts from all three Wrathwalkers, the deaths of the human crews invigorated Val'ritha through her Soul Absorption which while not as potent as Highlord Alarak's, it was capable of replenishing not only her own vitality and plasma shield but also her internal psionic energy. Smoke and fire rose up to the sky but the other humans continued and they made way for the walkers that ran towards the Daelaam-Taldarim forces that held their ground in anticipation for the coming slaughter.

Soon the human horde was within range of their weapons and Val'ritha gave the order to strike with the Bringer of Ashes being the first to fire with its Terminator Beams which immediately set ablaze six humans who howled in absolute agony. A massed volley of armor killing weapon was then unleashed from the Particle Disrupters of the Slayers to the Fusion Mortar enhanced Scatter Cannons of the Vanguards as well as the Destruction Beams from the Destroyers, the first of these other shots did not kill any of the humans as such weapons were calibrated to perform maximum damage against heavily armored foes but it did injure many and when the beams of the Destroyers struck the walkers, the unstable energy weapons leaped towards the nearest humans and began vaporizing them over a period of seconds.

By the time of the second volley, many more humans died and the Adepts as well as the Supplicants made their attacks and the Carriers unleashed Interceptors upon the walkers. While the Blood Orbs of the Supplicants were as as expected, fairly weak, the Purifier enhanced Glaive Cannons of the Adepts were more than enough to kill a human in a single shot and the sentries added their meager beams to the volley and at the same time, the Havocs deployed targeting lasers to the enemy walkers.

Feeding on so much death, Val'ritha then sent orders for the _Bringer of Ashes_ to ready its Thermal Lances and it began firing black and red beams of energy that set fire to the ground itself as more humans were set ablaze and screaming in pain. Drawing upon the Void again, Val'ritha and the Ascendants then launched massive orbs of psionic energy into the horde, each of this crimson spheres launched painful jolts of lightning towards the humans while another barrage from their weapons was unleashed.

The human walkers with the completely exposed pilots did manage to get dangerously close to the Daelaam Tal'darim, to which the Adepts and Slayers focused their fire upon them and between the two, the Glaive Cannons seemed far more effective against the vehicles, the machines were destroyed in short order as the rest of their forces also targeted them. Shaking her head at the stupidity of the humans, the Fleet Lady did not need to do much else as her forces carried out the slaughter.

Armed with a wide variety of anti-horde weapons that had served the Daelaam-Tal'darim well against creatures like the Zerg, the mob of humans was quickly transformed into piles of scorched bones with none of those on foot getting close enough to pose a serious threat. Filled with a sense of satisfaction, Val'ritha was then engulfed in crimson light and was transported back aboard the _Bringer of Ashes_ where she re-materialized next to her command throne.

Revivified by the massacre, the Fleet Lady order for her forces to advance towards the base.

* * *

Dark Lances, Disintegrators and Splinter Cannons continued to fire en masse from the Dark Eldar raiding force and the human female warriors died in droves. The aircraft of the Protoss had been smart enough to target the heavy weapons units first, those Mon'keigh carrying Heavy Bolters were the first to be lifted up into the air by some sort of anti-gravity device that caught two at a time and the missiles of the other flyers proved to be quite effective, event towards power armored units while the energy weapons of the others were adequate when focused together.

But by far the greatest number of kills could be attributed to the Dark Eldar, the sheer weight of fire from their weapons had scythed down many humans and they were not even within Splinter Rifle range! The Mon'keigh female warriors were for the most part armed with Boltguns (of which possessed the same effective range as a Splinter Rifle) and those armed with incendiary or melta weapons had to get a whole lot closer close to even properly use those weapons which worked well for the Dark Eldar.

Ashniel and the Dark Lance gunners aboard the Raiders had switched their focus on the Rhinos which like the Immolators were lightly armor as well as armed. The Disintegrators operated by Sabioth and the other gunner aboard the Ravager, Cekuhil had some effect with most of the shots only doing very light damage but some were able to hit something important and soon enough, all of the transports had been transformed into burning wrecks.

The raiding force was soon running circles at combat speed around the Mon'keigh warrior females while their allies struck them from above with controlled bursts of energy rounds from half of the aircraft which did some damage. One by one the humans fell with rapid succession, the lucky ones by Dark Lances or Disintegrators but more by deadly toxins coursing through their veins, they writhed and screamed on the ground in agony with some even begging for their precious Emperor to come to their aid which Exarian found rather amusing as he was not suddenly struck down by some divine intervention.

With so much raw suffering filling the air, the Dark Eldar were further empowered by it and a dark rage began to take over them as Exarian turned his Ravager around and tapped a series of keys on a nearby control console. At the front of the grav-craft, was an arrow-shaped device known as a Shock Prow, which immediately powered up sent out a directional wave of electromagnetic force and the Ravager charged in.

Cruel laughter escaped Exarian's lips as his vehicle moved forwards, towards a group of humans warrior females who had gone to ground and he lowered the skimmer as close to the ground as possible (and dangerously so) without touching it. Bolt rounds were launched towards them, most missed due to the Night Shields and Flickerfields while one lucky shot struck gun shield in front of Cekuhil who was otherwise unharmed.

Soon the skimmer closed in with a squad of six Mon'keigh that that were attempting to protect some of their wounded while firing all of their bolters at the Ravagers and two of the smarter ones threw themselves to the side while the rest continued to shoot in a futile last stand. Exarian grinned when he felt that satisfying crunch as three of the human warrior females were struck by the prow of the Ravager and the Chain snares had even snagged some of the wounded they had tried to guard.

Moving on ahead with bolt rounds flying after them, the humans other humans did not last long as the Raiders and Venoms eagerly moved in for the kill as well. Soon the sound of gunfire ceased as the last of the prey fell with with Splinter rounds to their foolishly exposed heads and Dark Eldar descended upon the fallen with blood thirsty eagerness.

The skimmers slowed down near the burning wrecks of Mon'keigh vehicles and eventually landed upon the grassy plain where the squadrons of Kabalite Warriors and Trueborn disembarked and began to spread out. Most of them left their rifles aboard the transports and carried only knives and even the crew of Exarian's Ravager did likewise while leaving their vehicles floating about five feet above the grassy ground while inspecting the chain snares.

'This one is still alive' giddily spoke Sabioth as he crouched down to inspect a wounded Mon'keigh who quite luckily for her (or unluckily) received not one but two razor sharp hooks to the shoulder pads of her armor. The human was missing part of her right leg from below the thigh, and by Exarian's guess, a Dark Lance shot had severed the armored limb, there was a defiant look of burning hatred in the hazel eyes of the Mon'keigh. There was also another warrior female caught in the chain-snare but the Dracon could not tell if the other was alive or dead.

'Let's make our guest comfortable' announced Exarian as a sadistic smile creased beneath his helmet.

* * *

Three massive, screaming red plasma bolts fired from monstrous walkers that would have rivaled an Imperator Titan in size, struck the walls of a Convent and the structure collapsed in on itself as the ceramite and plasteel structure was reduced to molten slag. All around the Adepta Sororitas base, Battles Sisters died as the unknown xeno forces struck with overwhelming firepower that possessed a range far greater than what the Daughters of the Emperor fielded.

A dozen smaller black armored walkers as wide as Astartes Dreadnoughts bombarded the base from a range equivalent to that of a Leman Russ's Battle cannon while other even smaller ones fired highly accurate volleys of energy bolts that could pierce even Power Armor. From above, alien vessels fired continuous beams of energy that struck multiple Battle Sisters at once while small fighter craft strafed about and indiscriminately fired plasma bolts at those below.

Raising her Storm Bolter into the air firing at full auto, Palatine Emilia could hardly get a bead on the small alien flyers that zoomed about as she and a Command Squad of three Celestians, Sister Kara and Sister Hospitaller Ariel now fought at the base of the statue dedicated to Saint Celestine. Another full Celestian squad stood by them, their assorted Bolter weapons launched a murderous hailstorm of miniature explosives that would have easily torn apart a horde of Orks but against zooming aircraft, very few if any struck for none of them carried dedicated anti-air weapons.

Sister Kara had attempted to call for reinforcements from the Cadian 999th but the Imperial Guard forces were tied up dealing with xeno flyers as well and in orbit, the Space Marines of the Aurora Chapters were now engaged in naval battle against a traitor ship. In their attempt to reach out to other Imperial forces, they had discovered the presence of Imperial Guard, Space Marine, Mechanicus and fellow Adepta Sororitas forces but all were now engaged in battles as well against heretics or xenos with none being able to spare any assistance.

A massive beam of black-red energy struck the ground only a few meters in front of the Command Squad and it quickly raced forward and engulfed half of the Celestians. The air was immediately filled with a smell every Battle Sister became intimately familiar with for it evoked memories of hunts that ended with witches and heretics being burned at the stake, the smell of charred human flesh followed by screams of agony.

The blessed cloth of the five Celestians which was attached to their armor was set ablaze as they too were engulfed in flames and the intense heat caused the bolt rounds they carried as well as the grenades to detonate in a shower of shrapnel from the frags. Emilia felt metal fragments clatter against the right side of her power armor and was thankful that she wore a helmet but heard a heavy thud to her left and she looked to see that Sister Kara had fallen to the ground with a shard of metal lodged into the side of her skull.

Muttering a curse as two Celestians around her were cut down by a volley of plasma shots, there was little else they could do but keep on firing. Roaring prayers to the Emperor and oaths of vengeance, Emilia had at the least hoped that her faith in Him on Earth would be heard but deep inside, she felt that something was wrong, that something was different.

Having been able to wield her faith as a weapon and a shield in the past, the Palatine and her Battle Sisters had hoped to even the odds with their prayers but nothing came of it, as if the Emperor could not even hear their prayers. A seed of doubt was sown into the heard of the Palatine a dark and terrible uncertainty that gnawed at her very conviction.

Palatine Emilia did not have to worry about the seed of doubt for long as dark crimson energy engulfed her and she felt an overwhelmingly intense, excruciating burning pain within her head as blood poured from her eyes, nose and mouth. The pain passed as quickly as it appeared but she was immediately engulfed by the dark energies again and this time, her head exploded in sickening crack that sent blood and brains everywhere.

* * *

Upon her dark throne aboard the _Bringer of Ashes_ Fleet Lady Val'ritha luxuriated in the presence of so much quenched life-force that fed her in ways far deeper than mere solar energy ever could. Her clawed fingers tightly gripped the armrests of the seat as her eyes were closed and she took this rare moment to enjoy herself. It had been so long since the Tal'darim Executor had engaged in such bloodshed for her time among the Daelaam had despite its necessity, proven to be utterly boring.

The weapons of these humans had proven to be quite ridiculously short ranged, they did not possess any of the sort of long range armaments she would expect beings like the Terrans to normally field, instead, they just stood their ground and uselessly attempted to shoot down the Interceptors of their Carriers. Such blatant disregard to their arsenal was just asking anyone else to slaughter them and the Daelaam-Tal'darim were obliged to answer.

Sighing in deep pleasure, the Fleet Lady then heard a chiming on the holo-terminal in front of her and she activated the communications network. Val'ritha was soon greeted by the veiled and visored face of an Orcale Pilot who bowed her head in accords to their stations, the stealthed aircraft had still been following their new allies and judging by their actions, it seemed that these Drukhari were none the wiser of their presence.

+_Fleet Lady_\+ spoke the Oracle Pilot with a subservient tone. +_Our allies are returning_+

The screen upon the holo-terminal then shifted to show two feeds from the Oracles, one depicted a group of the shadow covered Drukhari hover-craft moving in the direction towards the _Bringer of Ashes_ while the others were busily doing something around the the wreckage of destroyed human vehicles. Tapping on one of the holographic keys, Val'ritha magnified the view of one of the Oracles and what she saw a bit gruesome, even for her.

Kneeling over the bodies of the red and black armored humans, the Drukhari were using knives to cut off white haired scalps and clearly, many of the humans were still quite alive and screaming. The slender aliens then worked together to drag bodies to their vehicles and lash them to the hulls with chains, hooks or other blades and some brought them aboard in chains.

Switching the view to the other screen, she saw that the second group of Drukhari, the ones heading to her Mothership had already adorned their vehicles with scalps, corpses and even brought prisoner aboard their vehicles. The Fleet Lady was somewhat surprised that the creatures were actually returning, she had expected that they would have cut loose and ran at the earliest possibility, then again perhaps they were smarter than she thought they were. Regardless of which, Val'ritha then opened up the previous communications channel and she was greeted by a fearsome visage which realized immediately was a helmet of which was removed to show the familiar face of Exarian.

'It seems a congratulations is in order, Dracon' spoke the Fleet Lady using the psi to speech device again. 'You have proven yourself a worthy ally'

'There is much we Drukhari can offer' answered the alien leader who then began to speak in a matter which contained a hint of sycophancy. 'If you would allow us to part ways, I will bring word of the skill and deeds of your noble kind, my most glorious and esteemed Mistress, Archon Zhalarena would surely see fit to reward your people quite handsomely.'

'Will you not join us for a celebration?' offered Val'ritha who had no intention of letting these creatures out of her sight, especially since she had know idea what their goals were. 'It is customary among the Tal'darim to do so after a great victory.'

'I would be delighted to, but alas my duties to the Kabal would require my immediate return' Exarian replied and Val'ritha's good mood was now starting to wear out.

'Oh but I insist, friend' then said the Fleet Lady who immediately sent a mental command to the Phoenixes and Scout watching over the Drukhari and she saw the way Exarian looked up from the screen and his eyes slightly widened at the sight of the fighter-craft which not only great outnumbered them but had the vehicles within their sights. 'Especially when there is so much we need to discuss.'

'Well if you insist then, perhaps we can partake in such festivities' replied Exarian who immediately regained his composure. 'To celebrate our newfound friendship'

'Yes... to friendship' said Val'ritha who already sent a mental command for her crew to ready the torture chambers, just in case.

* * *

Traveling northward with the Farseer's jetbike still at the lead, Baelinar kept a watchful eye out for any danger but found nothing in the immediate vicinity that could seriously threaten them. It had already been several minutes since they left the facility and he had received word from Elemire that Exarch Ingmir and his other forces had safely arrived at Xaiak with more of the scattered Valserian warhosts and their allies en route to the city.

+_We have arrived, look to the sky_\+ then came the mental call of Arathel and every Windrider looked up to see a pair of golden, alien aircraft zooming towards their direction.

+_Windriders halt!_\+ mentally called the Autarch and the jetbike mounted Eldar slowed down their vehicles which gently came to a stop within a glade at about two dozen meters away from the vessels. +_Are you sure these are the ones we seek?_+

+_I am_\+ replied Arathel as the golden aircraft began to slow down before coming to a halt as well a dozen meters away from them and instinctively, the Autarch kept one hand near the firing mechanisms for his jetbike's twin-linked shuriken catapults.

The alien flyers then expanded two great wings made up from some sort of energy field and the front part where he guessed was the pilot's cockpit was raised upwards with the rear end now facing the ground. It then proceeded to emit a field of psychic energy which he could sense and flashes of light materialized beneath the vessels which soon took a bipedal form.

Within seconds, several golden armored, blue eyed, pale grey skinned aliens along with large four legged walkers materialized within the glade. At the lead of these creatures was a more slender looking specimen who like the others was adorned with many bright cyan colored crystals, all save for one unmistakably familiar, red stone inlaid into the front-most chest piece of its armor.

+_I am Executor Lacea of the Daelaam_\+ spoke a feminine voice within their minds which that to the surprise of the Eldar was perfectly done so in their own language. 'T_here is much we must speak of, Children of Isha_+


	7. Chapter 7

Emerging from the great tooth-filled maw of the Omega Network were several hundreds of land-based strains of Zerg ranging from the very basic Zerglings to the mighty Ultralisks, their return came as a great flood of living bodies for the numerous combat organisms began to make their way back to the Hives of their respective Broods. Many of the combat organisms were in various states of injury, some were commanded to burrow into the Creep-covered soil to rest and regenerate while other more valuable creatures such as the Ultralisks or the Aberrations strode towards the command structures.

Gathered around the Hives and tending to clutches of larvae were many lesser ground-based Queens, these creatures while superficially similar to the Broodmothers were ultimately far less intelligent and more akin to the Overlords in terms of mental capacity while ultimately were as enthralled to superior command organisms like the rest of the Swarm. Prioritizing the large warrior organisms by their value, the Queens soon began spewing from their ovipositors, nourishing thick reddish fluids upon the injuries of the combat strains which rapidly enhanced their bodily regeneration.

Soon they moved on to the other wounded creatures while the Swarm Hosts began laying eggs which would produce Locusts whose current purpose was to be consumed by the Defilers. While the ground forces recuperated, the aerial organisms of the Zerg made their way to a different but also well fortified Hive Cluster on the borders of Primal territory in a great flock of flapping or buzzing wings.

For the Broodmothers of the Swarm there was no denying that they had encountered a new threat, one which they could sense possessed great psionic power. Each of them multi-tasked and sent out telepathic orders to the Overlords which in turn relayed their commands to the various organisms that made up the Swarm.

Hundreds of Larvae were fed thick slurries composed of processed minerals and vespene which provided the necessary nutrients required to enter the next stage of their life cycles. Within a Terran heartbeat, the worm-like creatures encased themselves in strong egg-like shells as they metamorphosed into new combat organisms to replace those that had been slain in the fight against the Imperium humans.

Just as before, the first to emerge were the Swarmling strain of Zerglings, many of which would immediately meta-morph again into various Baneling strains. Then came the emergence of more winged Zergling Raptors followed by Roaches and Hydralisks, Scourges and other strains. In a matter of minutes, the Broods spawned hundreds of fresh new combat organisms while more and more larvae were prepared for future conflict.

While the spawning took place, Broodmother Urstara had volunteered to act as an emissary to Primals for of all the Zerg leaders gathered on Un'lazar, she possessed a greater understanding of the mentality of their kin from Zerus. Emerging from the safety of her Primary Hive structure, the Nargil Broodmother was was accompanied by an honor guard of six Hunter-Killer strain Hydralisks that patiently awaited her.

Sending out a quick telepathic order, the Hunter-Killers formed a protective ring around the Broodmother who made her way to the Omega Network while the great horde of the Nargil Brood formed a larger cordon around their leader. Soon the entire force under Urstara's command would enter the cavernous maw of the network and through its living tunnels, they would rapidly travel from the Swarm's primary Hive Cluster to one of the smaller ones that once served as a mining outpost.

After a quick period of time over a distance of more than a few dozen miles, the Nargil Brood emerged from the maw of an Omega Worm which was surrounded by four lairs. This frontier nest had once been the sight of many rich veins of minerals and vespene geysers, now all of the valuable resources had been stripped bare but still it served as a valuable staging point.

The creep covered ground around the nest was surrounded by defensive crawler organisms, these had been left behind to provide security while the air above was thick with Urstara's aerial children. Most were the dozens of different breeds of combat organisms but there were also many Overlords whose bulbous bodies floated close to the slimy ground and with another telepathic order, her ground forces moved to the transports.

Soon the entire ground force of the Nargil Brood would be safely embarked within the cavernous Ventral Sacs of the Overlords which glided off towards the Primal Territories while guarded by a great number of aerial organisms. At the same time this was happening, the other Broodmothers had amassed their hordes along the borders as well, Hive Clusters would be further fortified while the rest waited for the results of Urstara's meeting with Sub-Pack leader Nezar.

And so they watched and waited upon events near and far, already plotting their next moves.

* * *

Stomping over the remains of a dead tree, its rotted, black bark loudly cracked into countless tiny splinters that harmlessly scratched at the hooves of the Hive Tyrant. Protected by a bonded trio of Tyrant Guards armed with Rending Claws, Lash whips and Boneswords, the guardian beasts faithfully accompanied their master while the rest of the swarm surged forth ahead them.

The lush green jungle around the Tyranids was for now, left unconsumed for within the mind of the Hive Tyrant, it processed what information it had recently gained and identified a what it was certain to be a threat. There were other organisms on this planet, prey-things rich in biomass and possessing genetic information that would be of great interest to their Norn Queen within the vessel that served as their Hive.

A living tide of combat organisms surrounded the Hive Tyrant, from the skittering swarms of Rippers to the masses of Gaunts, the packs of Warriors that were instrumental in keeping the horde in its thrall, the mighty Carnifexes that were kept in reserve along with other larger strains. Above in the leafy canopy of the jungle, Gargoyles and Shrikes used their wings to maneuver between the great branches while further above, Harpies and Hive Crones swooped about and served as their eyes in the sky.

Within the recesses of the Hive Tyrant's consciousness, it had caught glimpses of a battle that had gone poorly between a brood of Genestealers and prey-things. In its mind, it analyzed the appearance of other prey-things which were more bestial in appearance and temperament, yet possessed an intellect like those of its own kind.

Studying what limited information it had, the Hive Tyrant ran countless thousands of simulations in its mind, mock battles between its forces and those of the prey-things while formulating strategies and plans. Ultimately though, with its limited knowledge on these particular prey-things, it could not conclude a definitive course of action.

Knowing full well that it needed to learn more about these creatures, the Hive Tyrant spurred its forces onward in the direction of where it sensed the psychic emanations of these unknown prey-things.

* * *

The _Ironhide_ shook as an enemy tank shell blasted a large chunk off of its left shoulder, grots squealed in terror and the walker shook again as it fired another round that krumped a umie tank. The verdant green fields was now littered with the wreckage of many destroyed war machines and the mangled corpses of Orks and Umiez.

Still looking through the periscope, Warboss Mormlug watched as along the west flank of the umiez, their anti-aircraft guns made short work of the Blood Axe flyers and koptas. One squadron of red painted Blitza-Bommers, two of which were already on fire and sputtering smoke from their engines managed to get close enough for the aircraft to deploy their boom bombs.

One of the Blitzas suddenly then exploded while the other two madly dived down as if they were going to crash their crafts upon the anti-air vehicles. Soon, four torpedo-like explosive devices were dropped from the Blitza-Bommers, the momentum of the dive propelled them towards the umiez and quite satisfyingly, two of the anti-air vehicles went up in flames while the Blitza was shot down.

On the eastern flank, a umie walker, a Sentinel took a direct hit from a Wartrakk's rokkits, the metallic canopy exploded in a shower of fire and metal as its killer was immediately hit by a bright orange laser beam from another. The energy weapon lanced directly into the driver's cockpit while immediately scorching the gunner's legs beneath him, the Wartrakk was soon sent spinning with wreckage being thrown about while battle raged on around them.

What a lovely day, thought Warboss Mormlug with a satisfied grin as he turned his attention to main body of the umie army. Leman Russ Tanks continued to roar their fury, fire and smoke belched forth from the barrels of their cannons, some missed and struck only dirt while others struck true and reduced more Blood Axe vehicles to burning ruin.

'FIRE!' roared a nearby mekboy and the _Ironhide's_ three Dethkannons launched high explosive death of their own. An already damaged Leman Russ tank was blown to pieces while another took an explosive shell to the front which at the least outright destroyed its main cannon and shattering the hull.

More and more Vehicles on both sides were destroyed as a great green tide of Blood Axe boyz ran forward and waving about their Choppas and firing guns. Another barrage of explosive shells then detonated among the horde, each killing at least a dozen orks but the did not care for their blood was up and desire to chop and smash overcame all sense of self preservation.

A sudden yet familiar chill suddenly went up the spine of the Warboss as he felt Gulzol use some unnatural power drawn from the Waaagh! energy of the surrounding horde. Grinning with anticipation, he soon saw a distant flash of green light over among the umie artillery battery and he went back to bellowing his orders while confident that the Weird Boy and the Nobz would do their jobs right and proper.

* * *

Pressing the trigger of his wheel-mounted Autocannon, Krieg Private D-15489 felt the recoil as shell after shell was hurled towards the xenos and he allowed himself a brief smile of satisfaction beneath his grim mask. Another vile ork buggy had been destroyed by his hand with many more in range.

The drillmasters and instructors back home had often spoken about their superiority in numbers and how by making one enemy kill, they would have justified their existence. Well today, Private D-15489 was confident that he had made at least four confirmed light vehicle kills, two bikes, a greenskin skimmer-helicopter and now a buggy.

If he were to die now, he would do so satisfied with the knowledge that he had done his part. A pair of open topped Basilisks parked to the right of his Heavy Weapons Squad roared their fury as they lobbed more Earthshaker Rounds into the xenos horde with the crew immediately getting to work with loading more shells.

Like a well oiled machine, the Imperial Guard forces brought down the Emperor's wrath upon the alien and the Autocannon began to click, its ammo drum spent.

'Loading' came the muffled voice of one of his squad mates, Private E-83692 who removed the now empty ammo drum from the Autocannon while another trooper was ready to place in a fresh new one. A sudden, unnatural chill immediately ran up the spine of the Death Korps Trooper, psyker witchcraft his instincts told him and he glanced back to see a bright green flash of light.

All of a sudden, a massive dark green skinned ork wearing crudely riveted metal plates and holding a heavy gun stood behind them and the Guardsman's reflexes immediately kicked in. Reaching for a holstered laspistol by his belt, his gloved left hand had merely gripped the handle when the ugly xeno aimed its weapon towards him and opened fired with a volley of lead.

Private D-15489 was shredded to bloody pieces as the Ork Nob fired its Kombi-Shoota on full auto. The other Nobs immediately opened fire as well upon the other nearby Heavy Weapons teams who all had no cover to make use of while some others turned their attention to the Basilisks and their exposed crews.

Some Guardsmen had to time to to draw their laspistols and fired back but the sturdy armor and dark leathery hides of the veteran xenos warriors easily withstood the few energy bolts that struck. The same unfortunately could not be said for the Krieg Guardsmen as many more with cut down by a hail of bullets or handheld explosives.

* * *

Drawing upon the dangerously built up power of the Waaagh! that threatened to overwhelm him, Gulzol was relieved to unleash its fury upon the umiez! Focusing his mind, the Weirdboy took a deep breath of the warm, tropical, now fyceline filled air as bright green sparks of electricity danced from his brain and eyes while he opened his mouth wide.

In the next moment, psychic plasma vomited forth from his maw in a blazing inferno that was more than hot enough to melt through even Mega Armour. The metal plates on the left side of the umie artillery vehicles began to melt while the exposed crewmen screamed in agony as their bodies were immediately reduced to ashes.

The Nobz then fired Rokkits or hurled Stikk Bombs towards the exposed loading platforms towards the artillery vehicles and soon both machines detonated in spectacularly pleasing conflagrations. With still more artillery to krump, Gulzol drew upon the Waaagh! energy of their horde readied prepared to cast Da Jump again while heading to the burning wreckage for cover.

As soon as the Weirdboy had gathered up enough power, he focused his mind upon himself and the Nobz who accompanied him and in the next moment, they vanished from the material universe as if they had never been there in the first place before re-materializing behind another battery of Basilisks and their umie protectors. The Nobz did not need to be told what to do as they opened fire on the enemy again with blood thirsty roars upon their lips.

* * *

Swooping high over the jungle canopy, a Hive Crone scanned the horizon for any possible threats to the advancing Tyranid swarm below. The bestial part of its mind desired nothing more than to land and consume as much biomass as it possibly could but the will of the Hive Tyrant kept it focused on its current task.

Beating its great wings, the airborne, void-capable bio-construct was accompanied by dozens of other Hive Crones and Harpies, all equipped with a large assortment of different weapon symbiotes. A great warning shriek from a Harpy was then heard and the aerial bio-constructs turned their attention to the source of the possible danger.

In the distance, the Hive Crone saw numerous incoming flying creatures it knew were not its own kind and its instinctive behavior to feed kicked in but was again, suppressed by the Hive Tyrant's will. Readying its Stinger Salvo, the Hive Crone and many others of its kind immediately moved to intercept for the hunting of airborne prey was their intended purpose.

Forming into a large flock with significant amounts of space to allow themselves to maneuver, the Hive Crones closed in with these other airborne creatures and through their eyes, the Hive Tyrant that led them was able to get a better look as well. A swarm of grey-blue insects the size of a Gargoyle buzzed towards the Tyranids while larger prey-things moved more slowly behind them, some were serpentine in appearance like a Ravener but possessing numerous wings that kept them aloft while others were larger and heavier beings that looked similar to prey-things on aquatic worlds.

Quite interestingly, the Hive Tyrant could sense that at least some of these prey-things emanated a psychic signal which was of great interest to the Tyranid command organism which made sure to keep a trio of Zoanthropes nearby. A psychic command from the Hive Tyrant was sent and the clutches of four parasitic Tentaclids attached beneath the leathery wings of the Hive Crones quivered as they readied to launch themselves at the prey-things once they were within range.

As the aerial two forces converged, the first to attack were the prey-things, the flying multi-winged serpents launched swarms of even smaller organisms towards the Hive Crones and before its Tentaclids could be launched, many felt pain coursing through their body. Clouds of small insects were rapidly eating away at the armored shell of the Hive Crones but their inherent toughness kept them going as they ignored the pain and kept on going.

Waves of bio-elecectric energy were then felt by the airborne Tyranids as at least some of their Tentaclids had been damaged and in self defense the parasitic organisms detonated which momentarily disoriented the Hive Crones but the creatures immediately recovered and were back on the attack. Those Hive Crones carrying Stinger Salvos moved up to the front of the flock as the flying insects immediately flew directly towards them.

The air was soon filled with volleys of metre-long razor sharp spikes as many of the flying insects were impaled before exploding into clouds of corrosive bio-acid but some managed to get through and detonate upon the Hive Crones. Three of the airborne Tyranids immediately fell as bio-acid from the exploding insects immediately melted through their shells and liquefied their internal organs as a swarm of even faster, bright green insects were hurled from the maws of many tentacled aerial prey-things which struck at the Hive Crones with deadly precision and searing their hides with more acid.

Quickly surging forward were many two winged flying serpents that began emitting loud screeches and as soon as they were within range of the Stinger Salvos, they began spitting bright green bolts of bio-plasma from orifices at the bottom of their bodies. The two airborne swarms exchanged deadly volleys of fire as the Hive Crones closed in for the kill while attempting to angle their Scything Talons properly.

One of the Hive Crones, despite the damage done to its chitinous carapace was almost close enough to strike at a blue-grey prey-thing and it launched another volley from its Stinger Salvo with most of the spike impaling the target which in response launched a bio-plasma shot that directly hit the Tyranid before bouncing off to hit another Hive Crone. Before the eyes of the Hive Crone, it saw some of the injuries it caused immediately begin to close up with at least a few of its stingers being dislodged and falling off while leaving a scarred section on the carapace of the prey-thing.

In the next moment, thick green clouds engulfed the Hive Crones and blinding them for a moment before emerging from the other end of the cloud, its targeted prey-thing nowhere in sight before another volley of bright green projectile struck its already damaged hide and the bio-acids of the prey things began to melt its organs.

Whatever strength the Hive Crone possessed immediately began to dissipate as it's body was consumed by the prey-thing bio acids and before long its lifeless body plummeted down to the jungle canopy, already forgotten as the rest of its brood engaged in an aerial battle against the prey-things.

* * *

Gazing up to witness the battle above, Sub-Pack leader Nezar watched as the Primal Mutalisks and Corruptors engaged the trespassing creatures while the Vipers remained behind to support their aerial pack-mates with the use of Blinding Clouds and Parisitic Bombs. Primal Creepers burrowed within the ground not far from the Sub-Pack leader continuously spawned swarms of flying Volatile Creepers which immediately sought out targets to detonate themselves upon.

Loud shrieks and screeches could be heard as large winged creatures attempted to engage in close quarters with the Primal Mutalisks while others launched bright green volleys that burned like Protoss energy weapons. Bodies fell from the skies, mostly those of the trespassers for the Primal Mutalisks were capable of reconstituting their bodies even after suffering the most grievous of injuries and those that did would soon fight on at full strength.

A Hydralisk near the Sub-Pack leader growled in anticipation, the flaps of its upper carapace were already exposed with rows of Needle Spines ready to be launched while eleven other Hydralisks stood ready to attack. A deep bark escaped the maw of Nezar who immediately launched a chitinous spike at the nearest invader and the Hydralisks unleashed a massed volley of razor sharp projectiles that traveled at hyper-sonic speed with deadly precision that downed one of the aerial invaders that had been grappling with a Primal Mutalisk before switching to another target.

The volley of Needle Spines embedded into the underside of their target's body while Parasite Spores from the Corruptors struck the thing head on and causing it to fall lifelessly to the jungle. Ordering the Hydralisks to help clear out the skies, the Sub-Pack leader turned his attention to the approaching invaders on the ground that had been detected by their Overseers.

Emitting a series of barks and growls, the Primal Zerg of the Pack of Dehaka moved through the jungle brush, ready to intercept those that dared to intrude into their territory. Nezar was accompanied by many Zerglings, Ravasaurs, Roaches, Igniters and Ultralisks that moved together in one large group with a trio of Queens kept within the center while Banelings were placed at the very front.

Behind the Primal horde, Lurkers and Impalers followed a short distance behind them along with Ravagers and Infestors. Primal Overseers floated above and maintained a careful watch upon both the battle in the air as well as the jungle canopy below, the keen gaze of the surveillance organisms allowed them to two groups of blue and red shelled creatures attempting to quietly flank the Pack of Dehaka.

Creating a series of wheezing, gurgling sounds that alerted their pack-mates to the incoming foes, Nezar barked out orders to his underlings which caused the Impalers and Lurkers to burrow into the ground while a pair of Infestors moved to intercept.

The rest of the Primal Zerg began to take a more cautious stride as they readied themselves for an incoming assault. A collective sense of eagerness filled the Zerg of Zerus for they were all keen on acquiring new essence.

* * *

Quietly moving beneath the brush of the jungle, a pack of three Lictors watched as the herd of blue-grey prey-things begin to move more slowly. Looking up, one of them saw the flying many-eyed creatures which accompanied the prey-thing herd and through its gaze, the Hive Tyrant began to calculate.

Having earlier consumed the biomass of a similar looking creature, the Tyranid command organism was aware that these airborne flying organisms possessed keen senses that allowed them to spot hidden foes. It was certain that the Lictors had been spotted and it sent a mental command for the infiltration organisms to withdraw but they sensed a subtle vibration in the ground below before air around them suddenly exploded in a bright green viscous fluid that covered their bodies.

Pain flared through the senses of the Lictors as the thick fluid that covered them began to eat away at their flesh and movement was impossible. In the next moment, several long tentacles tipped with many chitinous teeth suddenly burst out from the ground and speared bodies the Lictors.

Dark ichorous blood splattered upon the jungle ground as the tentacles immediately retreated back into the ground but the Lictors still stood for their innate endurance allowed them survive such injuries. Instinctively, the creatures knew that they would not survive while their bodies were still covered by the burning, viscous fluid and blood flowed freely in great torrents from their bodies.

The ground rumbled again as another series of tentacles burst out from the ground to impale the Lictors, two of which were instantly killed and Hive Tyrant sensed that the other pack had suffered one casualty, not that it would matter much. Breaking its hold over the remaining Lictors, the Hive Tyrant spurred its forces to attack for it did not have time to bother with those it knew would already be dead.

In a matter of four seconds after being splattered by the fluid, only half of the Lictors from the two full packs survived their connection to the Hive Mind was lost as hunger and pain overwhelmed their senses. Taking only a few steps in the direction of the prey-things, the Lictors collapsed as the sheer loss of blood combined with their wounds caused them to expire shortly afterwards.

* * *

The jungle was now filled with the roars and screeches of many bestial things as the Primal Zerg and the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Behemoth unleashed themselves in a ravenous wave of gnashing teeth and razor sharp claws. A living tide of Rippers and Hormagaunts followed by Termagants and Gargoyles formed the front line while numerous Warriors, Carnifexes and Pyrovores remained close.

Primal Banelings rolled forward towards the Tyranids while Zerglings, Roaches and Igniters went on the attack. Sub-Pack Leader Nezar remained behind along with the Ravasaurs, Infestors, Hydralisks and Queens to observe the battle before committing himself.

The Primal Ravasaurs turned their gaze upwards and began belching forth searing globs of acid into the air that arced up like human mortar shells before falling upon the Tyranids with startling accuracy. The acid of which was meant to burn through the plates of heavily armored targets caused great harm to the Gaunts but not enough to outright kill one while for the Rippers, a single glob may have killed a few but hardly enough to seriously disrupt the swarms.

From above, the Brood Lords and Primal Guardians began to bombard the Tyranids with volleys of Broodlings and Acid Spores, some of which were bright green in color but others were bright orange which would stick to whatever it struck before violently exploding a few seconds after with enough force to kill many at once. Gaunts and Rippers were painfully reduced into puddles of melted bio-mass or torn apart by the impacts of the surprisingly aggressive creatures which in turn would be slaughtered by the masses of Tyranids.

Annoyed by these aerial attacks, the Hive Tyrant directed the Hive Crones and Harpies towards the Zerg aerial artillery organisms but the sheer number of Primal Mutalisks, Corruptors and Volatile Creepers prevented the Tyranids from getting close. In response, the Hive Tyrant also redirected numerous Gargoyles to engage the Primal Zerg airborne artillery and Nezar began to bark more orders which caused Hydralisks to switch targets.

Volleys of Needle Spines were redirected from the larger aerial Tyranids to the smaller ones where instead of focus firing on their targets, they aimed to hit as many as possible. The bodies of Gargoyles soon began to fall as they were pin-cushioned by the Primal Hydralisks which in turn fired volleys of borer-beetles from their flesh borers which hit as hard as a human bolt round.

A small number of Volatile Creepers detonated pre-maturely as their bodies were rapidly devoured by the beetles but many got close enough to explode amidst the Gargoyles for the winged Gaunts were ill-suited towards shooting at aerial targets and many of the Tyranids missed their marks. In a matter of seconds, the bodies of many Gargoyles melted into showers of green goo by the bio-acids of the Volatile Creepers while the Primal Zerg's aerial artillery organisms continued their bombardments unabated.

On the ground the two swarms drew ever closer and from beneath, the Impalers and Lurkers launched their attacks with the Piercing Tentacles of the former bursting out to impale Tyranids but the latter of which was far more deadly for they launched numerous chitinous spikes that could hit multiple targets at once. Yet such were the numbers of the Tyranids that the swarm of Gaunts and Rippers pushed on, despite the mounting casualties and Hive Tyrant began sending mental commands to its own long ranged killers.

Lumbering forward to flank the Hive Tyrant were three full broods of Biovores and a pair of Tyrannofexes while Zoanthropes and the three Tyrant Guard remained around the command organism. Quickly sending a mental command to the living artillery units, the Biovores began launching spore mines towards the incoming Primal Zerg while the Tyrannofexes used their deadly Rupture Cannons which were quite capable of destroying the tanks of prey-races.

Floating down to the ground, the Spore Mines moved towards the nearest of the Primal Zerg, the rolling forms of the Banelings before detonating close to the suicide creatures with showers of razor sharp shards. The two species of exploding organisms killed on another in bursts of spikes and acid which drew the attention of Nezar who once again redirected the attacks of his underlings.

With range far exceeding those of the Biovores and the Tyrannofexes, the Primal Guardians, Brood Lords, Impalers and Lurkers focused fire on their Tyranid counterparts. Two of the nine Biovores immediately were slain by concentrated organic artillery fire from above while and the Hive Tyrant quickly noticed that one of the Tyrannofexes had been quickly been grievously injured by the sharp tentacles that struck even harder against a heavily armored targets.

The Hive Tyrant and the Zoanthropes near it immediately began drawing upon their connection to their Norn Queen within their primary Hive as well as the unusually calm Warp itself to sheathe themselves in a protective field of pure psychic energy. This proved to be a prudent move for the Tyranid psykers were soon attacked by the long ranged strikes of the Primal Zerg with none suffering from any form of injury for the moment.

As deadly projectiles were exchanged between the converging swarms, Nezar barked and the eight remaining Infestors moved up ahead. Long tendrils instantly shot out from the backs of the Infestors and before the Tyranids could react, they pierced even the hard skulls of the Carnifexes and Pyrovores before instantly inserting Neural Parasites into their brains with two of the former and all of the latter falling under Nezar's influence.

The Flamespurts of the Pyrovores immediately began spewing burning death upon the nearest Tyranid Warriors while the two Carnifexes savagely attacked their kin. The Hive Tyrant attempted to reassert its control over the beasts but the Neural Parasites held firm to their current hosts who continued to attack the Tyranids.

A pair of Tyranid Warriors armed with a Venom Cannons fired their weapons at a Pyrovore, each shot was quite capable of punching through the hides of the of the mind controlled beasts while the fires of the Flamespurts charred chitinous flesh which did not stop others braving through the searing blaze to engage in close quarters. The barrage of acid gobs from the Ravasaurs were then redirected towards the uninfected Carnifexes, their heavily armored bodies were exactly the kind of thing which the Dissolving Acids were intended deal with.

Despite the confusion and infighting that broke out among the Tyranids, the Gaunts and Rippers continued on their ravenous paths with the first of the Primal Zerg organisms were almost a dozen meters away from them. The Termagants were the first to fire, their Fleshborers struck the bodies of the incoming Banelings which exploded far enough to harm none of the Tyranids with only a few managing to get through to detonate themselves.

The losses which the Gaunts and Rippers would soon suffer were completely negligible as many Gaunts finally came face to face with the Primal Zerglings. Leaping forward in a furious charge, the Scything Talons of many Gaunt's plunged into the chitinous flesh of the Zerglings but the creatures were far more durable than they appeared.

Striking back with their own claws and teeth, the Primal Zerglings mercilessly struck back at the Gaunts while Rippers swarmed about with teeth tightly biting into the legs of their enemies. Initially, the Tyranid swarm possessed greater numbers and the sheer number of Flesh Borers reaped a deadly toll but then came the Igniters that could that began spraying the Tyranids with flames while the Primal Roaches spat globs of acidic saliva.

Volatile Creepers were then redirected to the ensuing ground battle where the explosive insects dived into the Tyranid Swarm and detonated themselves upon the tightly clumped targets while swarms of Primal Zerg Locusts landed to among the briefly cleared sections to spit weak acids. The Locusts were easily dispatched of course but every borer beetle, tooth, talon or claw that tore into them was nothing more than a mere distraction while the outnumbered Primal Zerglings kept on fighting.

The ground beneath then began to rumble and from behind the battling Zerglings. Rippers and Gaunts, several Raveners burst out from the ground before slashing and stabbing at the Roaches and Igniters. The serpentine Tyranids possessed greater speed and strength but their Primal Zerg foes had tougher shells that would have required dedicated anti armor weapons to crack open and their claws were easily capable of tearing into the bodies of the Raveners.

Both sides remained heedless of their losses as their hunger drove them to keep on killing for both saw in one another a great prize for whoever was the victor.

* * *

'What do you mean they've been destroyed!?' shouted Colonel Ziyad over the Vox network as he spoke into the bead of the earpiece by his mouth.

Bullets flew past the exposed Tallarn officer with typically poor Ork accuracy with at least a few rounds ricocheting off the hull of his Leman Russ. In response, the crewmen operating his tank's Heavy Bolters launched volleys of explosive rounds towards the oncoming xenos and the mighty Vanquisher Cannon fired an anti-tank shell that directly hit a damaged Ork tank which sent it up in flames but there were so many more coming with waves of infantry drawing closer.

'Some of our Basilisks have been destroyed sir!' reported the commander of Hydra tank.

Looking back to confirm the report, he saw that it was indeed was true. Smoke and fire rose from the wreckage of four ruined Basilisks, the Death Korps guards that had been assigned to defend the artillery pieces were dead and there was suddenly a bright flash of light behind another battery.

Raising up a pair of magnoculars, the Tallarn officer saw that a group of Orks with dark-green flesh and clad in crude, heavy armor had suddenly just materialized behind the artillery battery and its defenders. Their guns fired at full auto behind the Death Korps Heavy Weapons Teams as grenades were also hurled at the exposed crews of the Basilisks and detonations of the smaller explosives set off the the Earthshakers on the loading platform.

Hissing a curse and muttering that they should have installed enclosed crew compartments before deploying, the Colonel immediately Voxed warnings to the remaining Basilisks and their defenders. A great explosion blossomed from a Leman Russ to his left and he cursed again as he saw the smoke and fire rise up from its wreckage and turned around again to see the oncoming Ork horde.

'Hellhounds! Burn the bastards!' ordered the Colonel and several Chimera based vehicles equipped with heavy flamers and fuel tanks rushed forward to meet the Orks.

One of the Hellhounds took a direct hit to the front from an Ork rocket, the damage was not enough to stop the flame vehicle and it kept on going as more explosive ordnance were fired by the aliens, again with poor accuracy. The Ork Gargant roared its fury once more, its three cannons launched another volley of shots that destroyed a Hellhound while another two had also gone up in flames under the sheer volley of greenskin tank-fire.

Soon the remaining Hellhounds came within range and they loosed tongues of blazing fire upon the Orks! The smell of charred Ork flesh grew heavy in the air as another flight of xeno helicopters were gunned down by the Hydras but still the greenskins came.

As they had no intel about the fortress that had suddenly just appeared before their landing, there could have been for all they knew hundreds of thousands or even millions of the foul aliens inhabiting it. His tank's Vanquisher Cannon fired another shell and they scored a direct hit on one of the smaller Ork walkers and destroying it outright.

The Orks then fired a barrage of missiles towards the Hellhounds and the Colonel squinted his eyes as he could have sworn that he saw something small and green on it before realizing that what he saw was correct.

'Hellhounds! pull back! I repeat pull back!' shouted Ziyad as guided xeno missiles were piloted straight towards the incendiary tanks with only a few being fortunate enough to evade a fiery demise.

The mad greenskin pilots of the missiles scored direct hits upon the Hellhounds with more than a few hitting the roof of the vehicle's rear section, directly above where the promethium tanks were stored. Many of the Hellhounds were either destroyed or severely damaged with the latter being finished off by Ork anti-tank fire.

'Sir! the left flank is collapsing!' came a vox report and the Colonel looked to see that to the west of their battle line, only a precious few Sentinels and other light vehicles remained as Ork buggies and bikes made a mad dash towards the Hydras as well as the Basilisks.

'Keep fighting! In the Emperor's name! Send these foul aliens to their grave!' roared the Colonel as he situation was rapidly deteriorating and as if to emphasis the point, another Leman Russ was destroyed by Ork tank fire.

As the battle between Man and Ork raged on, another set of eyes watched with great interest.

* * *

+_I believe the humans will not survive_\+ telepathically spoke Broodmother Skirsys who had assigned an Overseer to watch the ongoing conflict between the humans and the greenskinned creatures. +_The green ones possess far greater numbers_+

+_But numbers do not always ensure victory_\+ reminded Araz'Kesh who like the other Broodmothers could see through eyes of the Overseer. +_Notice__ how the green ones are blinking about?+_

Sensing agreement from her sisters, Araz'Kesh had previously noticed that the greenskins had some sort of psionic presence and the sight of them teleporting around like a Protoss Stalker was confirmation to their suspicion. The mere possibility that green creatures possessed psionic potential was already more than enough to pique the interest of the Brood Mothers.

Perhaps they could capture a specimen and see if it was possible to infest one? wondered the Zasz Broodmother who already mentally reached out to a nearby lesser airborne Queen under her thrall. The older strains of the Queens were still capable of spreading the mutagens needed to infest lifeforms and the parasites they nurtured within themselves could at the least prove useful in gathering information on these greenskins.

Turning her attention to her own forces, the Broodmother found them still patiently awaiting for new orders at the Hive Cluster along the borders with the Primal territory while the Overseers kept watch of any possible threats. She then sent a mental command to a Viper and four Mutalisks to break off and provide an escort for the Queen which she sent northwards.

Shifting her mental gaze once more, the Broodmother saw through the eyes of one of Urstara's Overlords which carried numerous Zerglings within its Ventral Sac. The Nargil Brood flew over the jungle in search of any trace of their Primal kin with the only signs they found being depleted Vespene Geysers with atrophying Extractors still atop the empty vents.

It was of some annoyance to Araz'Kesh that the Primal Zerg made use of mobile hives that moved from one resource deposit to another while leaving little signs of their current location but it seemed that this time it would be easier. The foreign psychic presence, the one that possessed the great hunger could still be sensed by Araz'Kesh who was certain that it was somewhere within the region where the Nargil Brood were and she was certain as well that the Primals were already be aware of these creatures.

One of the Overseers then spotted movement in the distance and the eyes of the Nargil Brood's aerial organisms as well as that of the Broodmothers was drawn to its discovery. Several familiar blue-grey creatures engaged in a high altitude aerial battle against a fairly small number of blue and red colored creatures which they recognized were the same as the ones that slew one of their Overseers from earlier.

They could see bright green flashes as Primal Guardians accompanied by Brood Lords were busy bombarding something in the jungle and the Broodmothers surmised that it was whatever these hungering creatures were. Spurring her minions onwards, Urstara's Brood went on the attack with Mutalisks, Devourers and Scourges forming the vanguard of the assault while the Overlords began disgorging numerous packs of Zerglings and Banelings.

Mentally reaching out to the Nydus Networks, the Broodmothers were ready to send in reinforcements at a moment's notice should the situation require it.

* * *

A Tyrannofex collapsed to the ground with its organs spilling out upon the jungle ground while other was impaled once more by a series of spiked tentacles that tore through its underside before expiring as well. Acid and small prey-things roughly the size of a Gaunt eviscerated the Biovores while in the air, the Harpies and Hive Crones dwindled to less than a dozen.

An aerial prey-thing that had taken a few direct hits from a Harpy's Venom Cannons had instantly wrapped itself in a fleshy cocoon and after mere seconds, its emerged fully healed and unscathed. The prey-things in the air were far more formidable than it anticipated, thought the Hive Tyrant as more flying insects rose up from the jungles and detonated themselves upon the Tyranid flyers.

For the battle on the ground, they had slain many of the prey-things which individually were also stronger than what was expected but the sheer numbers of the Tyranids and the timely surprise appearance of burrowed Raveners allowed them to strike at the flanks. With Scything Talons, Rending Claws and assorted ranged weaponry, the Tyranids killed many of the smaller prey-things which seemed to be similar to Gaunts while the many legged insects possessed stronger armor and spat gobs of powerful acid or liquid fire, the latter of which proved incredibly deadly to the lightly armored combat organisms of the Hive Fleet.

From above, the prey-things continued to bombard the Tyranids and all attempts to strike at them with their own airborne organisms had proven unsuccessful. The sheer amount of casualties these aerial artillery creatures caused was enough to cause the Hive Tyrant to strongly consider falling back.

Most of their larger creatures were killed early on, targeted first by the prey-things with Bio-Weapons that were capable of not only significantly harming even the Tyrannofexes but were launched from ranges beyond their own. The prey-things had then switched their focus to the Warriors whose deaths caused mass confusion for without the Synapse creatures to exert control over the lesser masses, the Hive Tyrant was forced to expend more and more of its mental energies to keep it forces under control.

It was then that a great roar was heard throughout the jungle and the ground shook as massive prey-things that were somewhere between the sizes of a Hierodule and Hierophant emerged from the ground in a flurry of massive blades that slew scores of Gaunts with each swipe. Among them was a larger creature that unleashed a volley of sharp spikes that killed many Tyranids at once before charging into the fray.

The slaughter was completely one sided as the massive prey-things plowed through the Gaunts, Rippers and Raveners while razor sharp spikes, gobs of acid and other assorted ranged weaponry which struck with great accuracy tore apart the Tyranids. It was then that the last of the Tyranid flyers were slain and the prey-things which regenerated from the most grievous of wounds began spewing bolts of bio-plasma that would ricochet and hit multiple targets.

Without another thought, the Hive Tyrant immediately turned about face and began withdrawing back to the hive, its mind already considering what would be needed for the next encounter with the prey-things. Accompanying the Hive Tyrant were only a pair of Hive Guards and the trio of Zoanthropes which it would sacrifice to cover its escape.

Mentally reaching out to its other forces, the Hive of the Tyranids immediately began to reprocess the consumed bio-mass of the jungles. From the Brood Nests around the Hive, countless hibernating bio-constructs awakened to serve the will of the Hive Mind.

* * *

With a mighty swipe of his Kaiser Blades, Nezar slew a score of small red and blue skinned trespassers while the Ultralisks that accompanied him slaughtered in earnest. The bombardments and underground attacks from their artillery organisms continued unabated to deadly effect while the Mutalisks also reaped a deadly toll with their glaive wurms.

Whatever cohesion the red and blue trespassers possessed had begun to deteriorate and Nezar was certain that the command pack leader of these creatures was already gone. Throwing caution to the wind and losing himself in the act of butchery, the Tyrannozor killed anything not of his pack that came close and after some time, the fighting ceased.

Giving voice to a loud roar of triumph, the Primal Zerg immediately then fell upon the bodies of the slain in a bloody feeding frenzy. It did not matter if the corpses belonged to their former pack mates or those of the trespassers, all were just meat, sources of Essence to be acquired.

As they fed, new genetic information was gained and in mere moments, their bodies began to change, to evolve. One Primal Zergling immediately then attacked another, its movements and reflexes were significantly faster but the other was able to get a single trike which filled the aggressor's veins with poison.

Bloody fights to the death broke out among the Zerg of Zerus which ended with the victors further evolving as they soon devoured the Essence of the other. Such losses were of no concern to the Sub-Pack Leader for as long as the Hive Mothers and Wardens lived, so to would they as a species.

Nezar then trudged over to the bodies of the larger trespassers which their artillery organisms had focused on earlier with the Ultralisks following after him, the promise of new Essence was simply intoxicating. A series of warning sounds was then made by one of the Overseers and the Sub-Pack leader along with his guards instinctively readied themselves for another fight.

Looking up to the sky, he saw the incoming, bulbous forms of numerous teal-hided Overlords protected by a large number of aerial organisms, all of which bore the features of their corrupted kin, the very sight of them caused the Sub-Pack leader to warily growl. One of the Overlords which was protected by eight Mutalisks then came forward and it descended down to the jungle ground where it disgorged a pair of Hydralisks and a ground-strain of Queen which was much larger than the normal ones, a Brood Mother he realized.

'Nezar...' came a dry, raspy voice from the creature he recognized as Brood Mother Urstara. 'We have much to speak of...'

* * *

The Leman Russ of Colonel Ziyad shook as an explosive shell detonated upon the front of the tank and thankfully, the proud war machine only took a glancing hit and in response, its Vanquisher Cannon roared its vengeance. Another Ork tank was destroyed but like the Greenskins themselves, if one were destroyed, two more would take its place.

Vox-reports were coming in that their flanks were being overrun, the sheer number of greenskin vehicles being thrown at them had whittled away at Imperial Guard's armored forces with only Point Alpha as a possible place to fall back to, if it was even still standing. Mentally berating himself for even thinking about giving ground to the filthy greenskins, the Tallarn Colonel gave orders for the gunner to aim at the ugly, ramshackle excuse of a titan.

Another blessed shell was loaded by the tank crew with well practiced precision and as soon as it was readied, he gave the order to fire which caused the Leman Russ to shake with fire and smoke belching forth from its Vanquisher Cannon. The anti tank shell quickly sailed over the field, passed the oncoming tides of xeno vehicles and much to his satisfaction, it struck the vile war machine directly in its crude Ork-Skull face which caused a portion of its lower jaw to be obliterated but the thing still stood and it fired another volley of rounds that claimed another Leman Russ.

'Load!' ordered the Colonel and the process began again as the two armies continued to trade fire, the distance between them was rapidly closing to the point that had he inclination to do so, he would soon be able to hit them with his sword. The Heavy Bolters of his tank continued to scythe down the oncoming greenskin infantry but still the beasts kept coming, they fired back with small arms and a few carried anti tank rockets, some of which directly struck a Leman Russ Conqueror to his right before a lucky series of enemy tank shells hit the same vehicle and annihilating it.

Cursing once more he looked back and made a quick survey of their forces and saw that the Orks were now hitting the flanks and rears of their army, the Chimeras which had carried the Death Korp were now firing at the assorted xeno light vehicles while their own infantry held firm with Heavy Weapons trained upon the enemy. An Ork Buggy armed with flamers got close enough to douse the unfortunate Krieg soldiers in liquid fire, while in another area, a squad of Death Korp surrounded by burning wreckage were gruesomely eviscerated when a greenskin Deffkopta armed with a massive buzzsaw, quite literally tore into them.

The Colonel knew right away that their situation was not good, to say the least and any chance of escape was negligible since their transport had left with no safe landing zone. It was at this moment, Ziyad knew that they had a choice, continue to fight where they would face certain death or withdraw where hopefully the base at point Alpha was still standing yet even he had doubts that it still did.

No he realized as another Leman Russ Tank was destroyed by rocket fire from a Deffkopta that struck the vehicle's rear, it was already too late for them. The greenskin horde was now almost complete in encircling the Imperial Guard forces, all they could do now was fight and meet the Emperor with their heads held high.

'Gentlemen, its been an honor' solemnly spoke Colonel Ziyad into the Vox network before he drew his sheathed sword and pointed it at the damaged Ork Titan that still continued to spew explosive shells, massive machine was now close enough for him to see the small greenskins climbing about around it like maggots on a corpse and probably trying to do repairs or working machinery here.

'FOR EMPEROR FOR TALLARN! AYAAAA!' shouted the Colonel and the Leman Russ advanced forward at full speed. More bullet ricocheted off the hull of his tank, it shook when a rocket took out one of the sponson-mounted Heavy Bolters and he felt oddly satisfied when the treads of the might vehicle reduced greenskins to a red paste. The Vanquisher Cannon roared one last shell that struck a damaged enemy walker, a bastardized excused of a Space Marine Dreadnought by the look of it and was glad to see it go up in flames.

The Colonel and his crew soon met their end as well when several Ork tank shells and rockets struck the sides of the Leman Russ, one of which punched into the hull before detonating inside of it along with the explosive shells that had been stored within.

* * *

The umiez were breaking grinned Warboss Mormlug as the enemy tanks made one last desperate charge. There was certainly something to be admired, something almost orky in the way they chose to go down fighting instead of trying to find some way out and the Warboss could respect that, at the least as the Stompa crushed the burning wreckage of a Grot Tank.

From the periscope, he could see that Blood Axes had fully surrounded the umiez, Koptas, Buggies and Bikes were now hitting the artillery and anti-air vehicles or were hitting the rears of the dwindling number of tanks that continued their last charge. He saw a large mob of Slugga Boyz pile up on top of a Leman Russ, a umie officer wearing a fancy hat fired a pistol into the face of Slugga Boy before decapitating another with a chainsword while a third Ork cleaved his head in two with a sword before while holding a Stikk Bomb in the other hand.

Elsewhere he saw a Deff Dredd get close enough to a Leman Russ and be able to to use its Twin Power Klaws to tear open a hole so that it could spew fire into the umie crew. With the battle still raging on, he bellowed into device that allowed him to communicate with the crews of the other vehicles and he coordinated the Blood Axes to the best of his ability.

_An hour later..._

'Ow many ladz?' asked the Warboss as he stood outside the loading ramp of the Stompa and he surveyed the ruined grassland around him. The sense of satisfaction he felt at their victory over the umiez was now giving way to a sense of foreboding for he knew that they had lost a lot of boyz, before and after that big flash of light.

'Lodz boss' dutifully reported a Storm Nob named Greebitz whose shoulders were adorned with the severed, gas masked heads of umie soldiers. 'Da mekboyz fink we lost half our mekz too.'

Well this was a zogging huge setback thought the Warboss as the rest of Blood Axes eagerly began looting the dead for any good scrap or were taking heads as trophies. The delicious smell of roasted human flesh made him hungry as a group of Burna Boys and grots were busy sticking the bodies of the dead on pointy sticks and putting them over a fire with some of the hungrier lads just snatching a grot and taking a bite out of them as an appetizer. The Warboss knew that it would take time for even them to recover from a battle like this and having no idea where they even were had complicated matters further.

'Roight, round up sum of da Kommandos and a truck, ave the flyboyz look around' ordered the Warboss. 'Weze need ta know where we even are and ave da Meks see if they can contact any o da other Klans.'

'Aye aye boss' saluted the Stormboy Nob. 'What you got planned?'

'Been a while since I did some sneakin about' replied the Warboss with a nostalgic grin. 'Gonna see if Iz still got it'

* * *

'Did we lose them?' panted Private Barrick of the Catachan XXX as he tried to catch his breath, sweat lathered ever inch of the of the Catachan Devil's exposed flesh as he rest a hand on a tree with the other tightly gripped around the handle of his lasgun.

'Looks like it' replied Veteran Sergeant Blaine who cautiously tried to listen for any movement in the jungle. A sense of foreboding filled the Catachan officer's heart for he knew these Zerg xenos surely must have had the means to catch them and the fact they they were still alive made him think that they were allowed to escape, but why?

Could the Catachans have entered the territory of something the Zerg would not want to tangle with? Did the xenos think the single squad of Devils was hardly a significant threat and chose to focus elsewhere? Or did they regroup for something else? He had been trying to hail anyone over the Vox at Point Alpha and had only received a cacophany of shouting, screaming and gunfire followed by silence.

It was a strong possibility that something had happened to the others at the base and with the current Vox equipment they had, it would have been impossible to contact their ships for either reinforcements or to request evac. Muttering a curse, the Sergeant Blaine looked back to his squad and was coldly furious to count that out of the group of seven men who had been sent into the jungle to scout out the alien nesting site, only a total of three men, including the Veteran Sergeant himself had survived.

'So what do we do sir?' asked Sloane whose eyes cautiously gazed out into the jungle in search of any other dangers, his hands tightly gripped his Fang and a laspistol as he crouched in a readied stance.

'Still trying to contact someone, anyone at the base' replied the Veteran Sergeant who had one hand on his headset and he tried adjust the frequencies. 'Until we hear from them, best to assume that we are on our own.'

'Well that is frakking great' grumbled Barrick and the Veteran Sergeant continued to adjust the signal before finally he got something.

'-atch your flanks your miserable whoresons!' roared a deep voice from the other side of the channel as the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background. It was not the cracking of a lasbolts which he heard but the distinct dak dak dak which Bolters mades.

'By Khorne's Teeth over there! In the brush!' roared another voice and the mere mention of that blasphemous name made the Veteran Sergeant's blood run cold as he heard more bolt rounds being fired which were followed by another sound, a deep thunderous crack which was immediately followed by the sound of Ceramite cracking and a pained cry.

'Snipers! Get down!' roared the first voice which the Veteran Sergeant Blaine suspected belonged to none other than a foul Traitor Space Marine and all of a sudden the signal was lost.

'What's up sarge?' asked Sloane with a wary look on his face as if expecting to hear bad news. Before the Veteran Sergeant could even begin to explain that there were most likely Chaos

forces on the planet with them, he noticed a bright red light flashing behind Sloane and another series of red lights that were painful to look at, each of which then formed into a harmless laser light pointed at them and he instinctively knew that this was not good.

'Uh, sarge' spoke Barrick as red dots had appeared over his chest, his arms, legs and head. Before the Devils could even react a bright plasma bolt suddenly came out of nowhere and struck Barrick in the head, killing him instantly. Another plasma shot was fired and Sloane collapsed into the ground, his exposed chest was completely seared through before a third shot hit the Veteran Sergeant who was overcome by hot searing pain.

Roaring in surprise and pain, the Veteran Sergeant tried to raise his Meltagun and to his horror he looked down and saw that his right arm was lying on the jungle floor, a seared stump of meat made up the area that once connected to his elbow. Pushing away the pain to the best of his ability, he reached for his Fang with his left hand, the Catachan Sergeant then heard a loud bestial shriek and he followed his instincts. In a blink of an eye, he drew the blade which had been with him since childhood and without thinking he spun around and slashed at something that was moving very fast and he felt his blade strike something hard and metallic before suddenly he came face to face with a hideous xeno abomination that bore a foul scarrion smell, like that of rotting meat.

'You are fast, commendable' spoke a gangly bird-like alien in a surprisingly fluent yet accented Imperial Gothic, its face was covered by a dark green, almost black leather hood but he saw the beak of its mouth protruding from the front along with the many quills extending from the back of its head. Recognition of what this xeno was came into his thoughts for he had heard stories about this creature's particular species, a breed of foul cannibals that were said to grow stronger with every creature they ate and when he glanced down he saw that it was armed with pair of heavy Orkish short swords, like those used by their stealth specialists with one blade locked with his Fang and other was dangerously free.

The alien which he recognized as a thing called a Kroot quickly leapt back before gracefully landing on its clawed feet which allowed the Veteran Sergeant to better be able to get a good look at it. The xeno's flesh was of a lighter shade of greyish-green, its fingers ended in claw-like talons which casually gripped its twin blades, it wore no garments save for a leather belt around its torso where several tools were tucked into.

Casting his senses to the surrounding area, he tried to get an idea of how many aliens there were while keeping his eyes on the Kroot who attacked him, its stance was readied but there was also a sense of casualness to it, as if it was not too concerned about the wounded, one armed man it faced. Were their roles reversed, he would likely feel the same way himself.

'You are correct in thinking that if you move, you will be shot' suddenly spoke the alien in Imperial Gothic once more and it gave a sharp clicking sound. 'You are a Death Worlder, yes? A strong human, yes?' it then asked with something of a malicious smile creasing on its blasphemous alien visage.

'It will be good to have that strength' then spoke the Kroot before several more sniper rounds cut down the Veteran Sergeant who was still quite alive when the pack of Kroot descended upon the fallen Catachan Devils and he was still very much conscious when the xenos tore open his stomach and devoured his entrails before his eyes.

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Author's Note

If you are still following up to this chapter then I want to give a big thanks to all the people who Favorited this story as well as those who took the time to leave a review, I hope many of you will continue to enjoy this story. I especially want to give a big thanks to certain "lore experts" in the review section who despite their "knowledge" of the setting, seem completely ignorant or willfully so about the official Codexes and how according to one reviewer it is "cheating" to use those as sources.

Weird how using the very thing that forms the basis of their fandom is somehow completely invalid compared to the writings of dozens of different expanded universe authors with their own varying and at times conflicting ideas on how things work. So again thank you, "experts" for showing that there is definitely a notable portion of the 40k fanbase that is ignorant of its own source material when it does not suit them.


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